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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24293725">Past Tense</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tziput13/pseuds/Tziput13'>Tziput13</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Crash Bandicoot (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Racing, Spiritual, Unclear Past</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:23:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,698</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24293725</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tziput13/pseuds/Tziput13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a notable racing event in Motorworld, an innocent reference to the past of the bandicoots makes Pasadena realise that there is something she doesn’t quite know about herself. Perhaps, talking with the other racers in the theme park will help her in trying to find an answer to her doubts.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Pasadena O'Possum &amp; Coco Bandicoot, Pasadena O'Possum &amp; Ebenezer Von Clutch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story is set during Crash Tag Team Racing. Characterization-wise, though, there may be some variations compared to the writing seen in the game, considering how 'wild' the characters were in CTTR—in case you want to leave any feedback on this, do not hesitate to leave a review! This is my first time writing a lot of these characters, so I'll welcome anything you want to share.</p><p>This started out as a one-shot, but it's getting divided into three parts since I think ~20k words in a single page may be a bit too much. For this reason, the remaining chapters are actually finished and only need re-editing; if everything goes well, I should be able post them soon!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hello, sports fans! And welcome to another soon-to-happen motorsport competition here in Motorworld! I'm Chick Gizzard Lips, reporting to you with my partner right here, Stew!"</p><p>"It is indeed another good day for some good-old, deadly racing mayhem, Chick! I can only wonder what strategies our racers will come up with today. The new alliances that will form up, followed by the inevitable backstabbing! Ooh, the emotion!"</p><p>"That is indeed the case, Stew. Now, today's circuit is actually an old classic in Von Clutch's selection of hellish race tracks, Tiki Turbo. However, don't let the basic layout of this map fool you, race fans—because everything can happen and surprises are still behind the corner!"</p><p>"Especially since when you take part in these competitions there are seven other drivers looking into ways to blow your car into smithereens."</p><p>"Let's now have a look at our participants and—uhm. The starting grid is actually empty."</p><p>"For the love of cluck, it looks like we've come late; or rather, the drivers have already started out in their match, Chick! And to think I even set my clock to ring earlier this morning!"</p><p>"Well then, let us not wait any longer and move our cameras to admire the battle ahead and the surprises our racers have in store for us!"</p>
<hr/><p>Neo Cortex grunted as his Imperium car landed with a metallic noise after the high jump. For a moment, he thought the machine was going to crumble into pieces right there, but somehow the car refused to do so, stoically moving forward as Cortex pressed on the pedal.</p><p>"Not today!" Cortex shouted as he ran his car into a power-up line. He fetched a chicken and stood up, one hand still on the steering wheel, and looked back to check on the Imperium. Indeed, while the car wasn't exactly a miracle of engineering (it would look like one, if only Cortex had better resources to work on it!), there were a couple of flaming parts that were new addition courtesy of the recent race, and his opponents.</p><p>Behind him there was no other than Crash Bandicoot, his sworn enemy not to mention first racing rival. Sneering, Cortex hurled the explosive chicken at Crash, who was somehow distracted and didn't swerve to avoid it.</p><p>The chicken landed right on Crash's face, who started to flail his arms in alarm as the chicken clucked. Then, it detonated, and the Trikee exploded with it, turning with one quick <em>'boom'</em> into a flaming ball of a wreck.</p><p>Cortex looked in mirth as Crash flew in the air, his behind on fire, and started rolling on the ground upon landing. As per rule on Motorworld's races, a new car would immediately be sent to any racer who lost his or her own vehicle in battle, but not after some seconds of penalty.</p><p>"That should get that cursed bandicoot out of the picture for once," Cortex affirmed as he sat back in his seat. He was in first place now—he had kept in mind the placements and he was sure he had overtaken everyone.</p><p>"Victory is at hand…" he mumbled to himself. "I just have to keep my advantage and then—"</p><p>
  <em>Yoo-hoo hoo-oo ooo-uh!</em>
</p><p>Cortex cursed to himself for jinxing it, just before the Imperium was hit by the incoming fireguy. The thing took him out in one hit, sending Cortex skidding on the asphalt with only his seat and the steering wheel still in his hands, the rest of the Imperium having disassembled into random components on fire around him.</p><p>He came to a pitiful halt, and he could only watch as the one responsible for this disaster overtook him. He was ready to curse one of the other two Bandicoots or even swear revenge to his niece, who he had discovered was much more competitive as well as talkative than he'd thought at first.</p><p>Yet, all he heard was a heavily-accented laughter as Ebenezer Von Clutch passed him. "Sorry, Doctor, but the podium awaits me! <em>Auf Wiedersehen!"</em></p><p>Cortex gaped at him, then cursed under his breath. He sometimes forgot that even that insane cyborg of a man was competing. "You won't get away with this, Von Clutch!" he shouted, but Motorworld's current owner (for now, Cortex liked to think) was already far away.</p><p>He stood up as he waited for a replacement imperium to be provided to him from the side-lines. "Celebrate while you can, Von Clutch… the race has yet to end."</p>
<hr/><p>"It looks like Dr. Cortex just got out of <em>cluck,</em> Chick!"</p><p>"That move from Von Clutch is going to make him have some nightmares this night, I reckon! Yet, Cortex is actually still in the game, as since the start our racers have put a good distance between each other… some of them cannot even see the ones currently ahead of them!"</p><p>"Ooh… that's a bit boring, Chick. How can we comment on the deathmatch if there is no fighting, and thus no death, at all to discuss?"</p><p>"You might not have to wait that long for it Stew… and the same goes for you, race fans! For, when checking the last placements in the current race, we can remark that the events unfolding will be quite… intriguing."</p>
<hr/><p>Pasadena didn't exactly like not winning races… well, that may have been stating the obvious.</p><p>What she really hated, though, was being confined on <em>last place, </em>of all things, during one. No, she didn't just hate it, she found it unacceptable!</p><p>Yet, it looked like today was an unlucky one for her, as despite her efforts her Le Chaux car had been blown up not once, not twice, but <em>three</em> times since the start of the race on the apparently simple Tiki Turbo track. First, a random chicken had destroyed her right at the start… which she could've expected, given that the beginning was always chaotic. But then, N. Gin had decided to use her as a practicing target for his Rocket Launcher… twice.</p><p>She already had very colourful, revengeful ideas about how to let the 'rocket man' understand crossing her path had been a mistake… but first, she had to wait for her replacement car.</p><p>"Come on already, move it!" she cried to the Park Drones working fast on the side-lines. Soon, another Le Chaux was placed down and she jumped right on the seat and ignited the engine—she didn't even wait to see the Drones already going for the remains of the old one. For being a theme park of lethal fame with a lot of destruction going on, Motorworld was pretty strict on recycling.</p><p>Pasadena zoomed forward, aiming for the driver ahead of her… who she couldn't even see. Gritting her teeth, she went for a power-up line and got a turbo boost, which she promptly used. She could only hope to reach her adversaries, but the first lap was already coming to an end…</p><p>She heard explosions in the distance and hoped that at least the others would slow each other down. Keeping the throttle pressed, she exhibited her driving ability by taking the turns with the best, most difficult trajectory, the engine of the Le Chaux protesting every now and then, but Pasadena was in racing mode and there was no stopping her now.</p><p>After the third turn, she noticed that she had crossed the finish line. <em>'Second lap is it, then…' </em>she thought for herself, before looking forward and noticing cars ahead. "There you are!"</p><p>N. Gin was driving alone on his flack-track car. He was confabulating something to himself, and he didn't even notice Pasadena overtaking him. He scrambled to the wheel and tried to pursue her, but all he could see was the possum looking back and showing him a monkey in her hands.</p><p>"You wouldn't dare, you pathetic fake rodent!" N. Gin spluttered, but Pasadena only chuckled at his insult.</p><p>"This is for being a bad sport!" she proclaimed before throwing the monkey at N. Gin. She turned her attention back forward while giving a glance to her side-view mirrors, where she could admire N. Gin crying in despair as he tried to catch the monkey, who danced and jumped around him on his car while the TNT charges on the primate's back burned.</p><p>"That wasn't even my idea, it was Nina's—!" N. Gin couldn't even finish the sentence that his car turned into a beautiful fireworks show. Pasadena, however, knew better than to indulge in victory—she had six other drivers to take down… and in fact, the one N. Gin had mentioned was not too far ahead.</p><p>Nina was currently occupied in a head-to-head with Crunch and Coco—the three of them all in separate cars. Deciding that with no clashed opponents she had to take her chance, Pasadena got a chicken from the nearest power-up line and charged into the line without notice. She hit Coco's and Nina's cars from behind as they were side-by-side, inserting herself between the two.</p><p>"Hey! We were busy arguing with each other, thank you!" Coco protested when her view was blocked by the Le Chaux.</p><p>"Yeah, I was just going to show this brat why there's no way she can—!" Nina added from her side.</p><p>"Tut-tut!" Pasadena interrupted, "Sorry, gals, but I have an appointment with victory and you aren't invited!" Before any of the other two girls could retort, she flung the chicken at Nina.</p><p>The Angsterator Nina was driving didn't outright explode, but she took the hit hard and the car swerved towards the circuits' wall, making her lose precious speed. Even Coco had to turn in the other direction to evade the shockwave.</p><p>"Hope you two kids can understand!" Pasadena let herself enjoy the travesty she had caused to her opponents for a moment… then, everything went to shambles as she heard a '<em>yoo-hoo' </em>from a fireguy. The thing didn't target her, but it went right through the Le Chaux, setting fire to the spoilers, as well as the entire right side of the car's body… and her hat.</p><p>"Whoa, whoa, whoa! No, not my hat!" Pasadena cried as she started to use both hands to put out the fire currently happening on his head. Without her controls, the car went into a wall and started skidding on it, inevitably causing a loss of speed.</p><p>When Pasadena finally managed to put down the flames, she saw Crunch passing her. "My apologies, m'lady, but Crunch has no mercy while driving!" the bandicoot taunted, not before winking at her. As he distanced himself, Pasadena could only recognise that, at least, her partly burned out headgear now was appropriately coloured to represent her current not-so-happy mood.</p><p>She pushed on the pedal and forced the Le Chaux to accelerate again, not before she saw Nina Cortex overtaking her as well—the rookie villainess limiting herself to sticking her tongue out. Ignoring her, Pasadena put her entire focus on the race at hand. "I can still do this! Come on, come on, baby, you can do this!" she encouraged her own car, though her encouragement seemed to have little to no effect.</p><p>She was so focused she didn't check the side-mirrors and thus didn't see the incoming car behind her.</p><p>Pasadena needed some time to realise what was happening: the Le Chaux suddenly bolting forward at full speed, then its parts changing positions, mixing themselves with another completely different vehicle. Green in colour.</p><p>At one point, the possum found herself sitting in a seat twice as large compared to before, and driving a twice as big vehicle as well. Before she could say anything, a head appeared in her field of view, a blonde ponytail hanging down.</p><p>"Mind if we help each other for a while, Pasa?" Coco Bandicoot said with a mischievous smile.</p><p>"Don't call me that," Pasadena replied, though she was barely holding in her own smile. "And get out that magnet of yours. I have a score to settle with someone."</p><p>"Jeez, what's up with you today? You look like you're out for blood," Coco noticed before disappearing from Pasadena's view. She heard her climbing up to the top turret and setting up her personal clashed weapon. "I mean, your hat is smoking, but I thought that was because—"</p><p>"Try to blow up thrice in a row, and then you'll understand why I am cranky."</p><p>"Is that even a word?"</p><p>"Why would—ugh! …just aim at stuff, or something, Coco, and leave me alone!"</p><p>She heard Coco laughing, much to her discomfort, but she decided against arguing with her. This was a temporary alliance anyway.</p><p>The clashed car Pasadena was driving right now was only slightly faster than the Le Chaux, but it was enough to gain on Nina and Crunch. Pasadena also noticed the form a Trikee a bit ahead of them, and she recalled the current placements.</p><p>"Cortex and Von Clutch are ahead, but they can't be that far if we can see Crash from here. Come on, get us near the group!" Coco commented before inciting her driver. Pasadena complied by activating the turbo item they had just obtained, sending them at full speed towards Nina and Crunch.</p><p>Crunch looked back and left a dynamite monkey behind himself, but Pasadena knew better than to let such trivial obstacles slow her down. She started up a slight slide, barely enough to avoid the jumping monkey by a few centimetres, then she violently steered the wheel back in the other direction, forcing the car into the current route. Coco grunted behind her.</p><p>"Hey, watch it! I almost fell off this thing!"</p><p>"Then hold on, gal, because I'm not slowing down anytime soon!" Pasadena retorted. Coco sighed but she didn't reply—in fact, all Pasadena got as an answer was the noise of magnetic shells being fired above her and at the two drivers in front of them.</p><p>Coco's choice of clash weapon was slightly peculiar compared to the other contenders in Motorworld, but it could prove effective, as it did right now. Some magnet shells latched on Crunch's Guzzler, and others stuck on Nina's car: Crunch's vehicle blew up in one, pink-coloured explosion, but surprisingly Nina's machine kept on going even if on fire after sustaining the hits.</p><p>"Reloading! Keep us near her, I gotta teach her a lesson or so help me!"</p><p>Pasadena would've liked to satisfy Coco's request, but Nina activated a turbo item right before Coco could shoot her next shell. The girl escaped from the marsupials' grasp, overtaking even a surprised Crash.</p><p>The possum thought the speed of the group must have increased in the meantime, because she could see two cars ahead as well as Nina's and Crash's: Von Clutch and Cortex were now visible.</p><p>"And the last lap starts, racers! Hold your buzzards, fans at home, the match is coming to an incredible ending phase!" the voice of one of the fowl announcers rang throughout Tiki Turbo, confirming that Pasadena and Coco had indeed crossed the finish line a second time.</p><p>"I can do this… I know I can," Pasadena mumbled to herself, her eyes completely focused on the road ahead.</p><p>"You better!" Coco added, much to Pasadena's surprise since she was sure she had whispered it. Deciding to ignore her observation, she concentrated and brought their clashed car to its extreme limits.</p><p>"Not so fast, marsupial duo! I, N. Gin, will not let you take this win after making fun of me!" Pasadena's heard N. Gin's grumpy voice from behind them. The driver managed to get to their side and made sure to show Pasadena the chicken he had obtained. "I know your weakness! EXPLODING DINOSAUR DESCENDA—"</p><p>N. Gin's car blew up a second time as Coco released a salvo of magnetic shells at him. "Uff, I didn't want to waste ammo on him."</p><p>"Less talking and more aiming, Coco!" Pasadena reprimanded. There was another racer ahead of them, and despite the distracting looks of him she knew underestimating Crash was an error. And that was indeed the case when Crash stood up from his Trikee, looked at Pasadena with a smug smile before flinging another dynamite monkey at her.</p><p>This time Pasadena couldn't help get distracted for an instant—as it inevitably always happened whenever she saw the 'cinnamon piece' that was Crash—in her mind at least—but she still managed to get the car to turn fast enough to evade the incoming screeching hazard. Once again Coco was tossed around in her seat and had to hold on her own gun to avoid getting propelled in the air.</p><p>Pasadena didn't hear her complain this time, though, as they got closer to Crash. At one point, they were side by side, and Crash looked at Pasadena with a determined, combative expression.</p><p>All Crash got back from that were dreamy eyes and a wink.</p><p>"Hello there, handsome. Nice move with that bomb monkey, but unfortunately I'm better at driving than ya'. Now, if you were send a <em>kiss </em>at me though… I think I could reconsider taking you out, ya' know?"</p><p>Crash's face contorted into a mask of pure fear. Pasadena laughed in amusement, but before she could speak more Crash's Trikee suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke and flames.</p><p>"Hey! I was busy here!" Pasadena cried in annoyance at Coco as Crash flew in the air with an unsurprising 'whoa!'</p><p>"You can keep teasing my brother later. Eyes on the road, Pasa!"</p><p>Pasadena huffed but nonetheless kept driving… except, she heard the distinctive sound of a dry 'click' coming from behind her.</p><p>"Drats! I'm out of ammo! Curse you, N. Gin!"</p><p>"<em>Curse you back!"</em> they heard someone scream from somewhere far behind them, but Coco ignored it. For a moment, Pasadena thought she was going to de-clash their cars right there, then the bandicoot girl spoke again.</p><p>"Hey, mind if I take the wheels for a while?"</p><p>Pasadena scoffed, without turning around to face her. "I'm the better driver here."</p><p>"Well, and I am the better gunner, but unfortunately I can't do that anymore, and I can't use your weird spinning thing no matter how hard I try. Come on!"</p><p>Pasadena grunted under her breath. She should de-clash herself, really… but then, she saw an explosion far ahead.</p><p>While she and Coco were preoccupied talking with each other, Nina had reached Cortex and Von Clutch. In another twist to the current equilibrium of the race, she had clashed her car with her uncle, who seemed to have accepted the alliance. Nina's shotgun had made short work of Von Clutch shortly after.</p><p>She took a glimpse of her employer as he waited patiently for a replacement Pressurizer on the side of the track. As always, Von Clutch didn't pay any attention to her or any of the other racers while waiting—that was how much he was focused on getting back on the track.</p><p>Now, though, there was a clashed car between her and victory.</p><p>"Hey, Pasadena! Earth calls Pasadena!"</p><p>Oh, so be it.</p><p>"Okay, okay, we'll switch!" she confirmed. The bandicoot and the possum moved around the clashed car as Coco took the wheel and Pasadena got to the gunner's seat. With a few buttons pressed, the clashed car returned Coco's magnet shooter into the insides of the contraption, and her ballista replaced it. She took aim.</p><p>"Very well, show me what you got, bandicoot."</p><p>"You betcha!"</p><p>Cortex and Nina had activated a turbo-item ahead of them, but the marsupial duo only needed a power-slide to get their own turbo bonus as well. The track was coming to its conclusion, but Pasadena had to recognise Coco wasn't that bad on the steering wheel. Her driving was a bit less perfectionist than hers, but she proved to be enough fast to keep up with the Cortexes.</p><p>Which was a much appreciated fact, since at one point Cortex and Nina crashed into a wall. Pasadena suddenly saw them coming much closer as they slowed down.</p><p>"What are you doing, uncle?!" Nina roared.</p><p>"Sorry, daugh—I mean, d-ear niece!" Cortex apologized, "I was a bit too much entrapped from our previous success in eliminating that accursed Von Clutch…"</p><p>"The race is not over yet, uncle Neo! Come on, get that speed going now!"</p><p>"I might have made a mistake, but I won't surrender that easily, Nina!" Cortex proclaimed. Their own clashed vehicle accelerated back into proper speed, and Nina rotated its turret to look back.</p><p>"Why did I even chose you over the funky green dude, I don't—"she left her own sentence die down as she saw who was behind them.</p><p>"Oh, don't you tell me it's that Crash Bandicoot again now! I would like to get at least one race done without that accursed mutant messing my plans up for once!"</p><p>"No, uncle Neo… it's her sister, and Von Clutch's right hand woman," Nina explained. She prepared her shotgun. "Don't you worry. I've been looking forward to this."</p><p>Pasadena had been examining the Cortexes from afar, and she didn't expect Nina to start firing her shotgun from such a distance. Her lack of attention proved to be a mistake as the first pellet salvo hit their vehicle.</p><p>"Hey!" she cried as she ducked down to avoid getting her hat damaged even more and beyond recognition. When she looked up, she noticed her ballista had a couple of parts burning. Perhaps she should've asked Coco to aim for a repair power-up… since the Le Chaux was barely still moving when she clashed with her.</p><p>"Oh, the arrogance of that girl!" Coco growled. "Nina, you're gonna regret this, do you hear me?!"</p><p>"Just try to avoid the shots!" Pasadena said. "No use in getting angry right now!"</p><p>Coco turned around her head for a moment to glare at her before returning her attention back to where they were going. "Then do something yourself, shoot back or whatever! Just take down that Goth wannabee!"</p><p>"I'm trying!" she replied. Truth was, she <em>was </em>reallytrying, but <em>succeeding </em>was another matter. Nina's shotgun blasts were making it hard to aim at her, and when she could main the spinners she shot at her had grown the habit to bounce in the exact opposite direction she wanted them to go. At one point, one of them bounced back, and Coco had to swerve to avoid being hit by friendly fire. Afterwards, another shotgun blast managed to score a hit on them—now the ballista was burning on both sides.</p><p>"What are you doing Pasadena!?"</p><p>"Shooting, but I'm working on it! Try to get closer," she managed to blurt out. The racing line was getting closer, she could feel it.</p><p>"Are you serious!? Nina's shotgun will turn us into mincemeat!"</p><p>"Trust me!"</p><p>Pasadena didn't know why she had said this, but it was all she could think about at the moment. Her spinners were deadly, she knew it, but she still was getting accustomed to adjusting her aim and from afar it was difficult… not to mention the fact she needed to avoid getting turned into a slice of Swiss cheese herself.</p><p>However, she only needed a good shot at Nina and Cortex. Their clashed car had some visible flames leaving smoke trails as well—a symptom of Nina's previous encounter with Pasadena and Cortex's own duel with Von Clutch.</p><p>At that point, she was sure Coco would de-clash her car and go for a mad, last ditch rush for the Cortexes. She didn't.</p><p>Instead, she pressed on the accelerator's throttle. The clashed car's engine roared into life as apparently Coco had been keeping her distance up to that point, and they got closer to their adversaries.</p><p>Nina was surprised by this turn of events. "Uncle, faster!" she said as she took aim again.</p><p>"Got it! No bandicoot, or other marsupial animal, will overtake me!" Cortex confirmed as he himself upped the speed of their vehicle—in fact, they had apparently been slowing down on purpose to let Nina get rid of the marsupials, a choice that was coming back to bite them.</p><p>Nina started shooting once again. Much closer and deadlier, the blasts were now very hard to dodge, and some pellets kept hitting them here and there. The clashed car started losing pieces.</p><p>"Come on, Pasadena!"</p><p>…</p><p>"What are you waiting for? Pasadena?!"</p><p>Pasadena had stopped shooting. She was only aiming, her tongue sticking out of her closed mouth, one eye closed, her attention completely focused on the enemy vehicle.</p><p>She ignored Coco's protests, adjusted the ballista's placement. She only needed Nina to shoot another, last blast, which she did.</p><p>Pasadena ducked to avoid getting one of her pigtails cut off, then stood back again and recovered position. Her hands had been holding the weapon in place the whole time, and it had not changed position.</p><p>She slightly corrected the aim, then pressed the trigger. The spinner shot out at full speed, travelling from Coco and Pasadena right into Nina Cortex's face. "What the—?!"</p><p>Clashed cars tended to go out with a bigger explosion than usual, and that was indeed the case for the Cortexes' own take at it. Cortex and Nina flew in the air, Cortex with his arms crossed simply glaring while Nina spit out some creative insults that thankfully weren't caught by the broadcast of Chick and Stew.</p><p>Coco didn't even care—she was beaming. "How… how did you?!"</p><p>"Sometimes patience can reward you, gal… not always though," Pasadena explained, finally relaxing on her seat. She glanced back for a moment, and found out that behind them Crash, Von Clutch, and Crunch were currently occupied fighting each other for third place, far away from them: not even a fireguy was going to stop her from winning now.</p><p>Hmm… winning. About that, there was still one racer that could stop her from doing so.</p><p>Pasadena gave a glance to Coco. This was the moment where the backstabbing usually happened: after all, the first driver initiating a de-clash sequence would take a slight boost onto their ex-ally. She only needed to do it first, and then victory would be hers.</p><p>Except… for some reason, she hesitated. And if that wasn't enough baffling—it didn't look like Coco was going to do the same.</p><p>In fact, Coco was looking back at her with an equally doubtful expression.</p><p>"Hey… how about we get to the end of this one together?"</p><p>Pasadena thought about it for a moment. Her, sharing victory with another driver? How unlikely.</p><p>Well… perhaps not that much.</p><p>She smiled. "You know what, I'll let this one slide. You drive well… for being a rookie."</p><p>"And you shot well for being a possum who needs glasses."</p><p>Pasadena's took a moment to register the taunt. "Hey! I just wanted to make sure I took Nina out!"</p><p>"Relax, Pasa, I'm just joking with you."</p><p>"Humph!"</p><p>And despite that exchange, Coco and Pasadena indeed didn't de-clash their vehicles, and crossed the finish line together.</p>
<hr/><p>"What a wonderful match, race fans!"</p><p>"You can say that again, Chick! We haven't had this much action since that one time Von Clutch hired an entire stuntman crew just because he was victim of boredom. Woo-hoo, what a thrill that one was!"</p><p>"I don't know about that, Stew, but we can all agree this recent exhibition was one that we'll remember for quite a while, with such a very surprising display of teamplay up to the very end!"</p><p>"Oh, how could I forget that? It is indeed a day to cement a newfound friendship between Motorworld veteran, Pasadena O'Possum, and recent tech-genius newcomer, Coco Bandicoot! Or at least it is until the next race when they inevitably betray each other."</p><p>"Stay tuned, folks, for me and my partner Stew will actually go on the scene personally to greet our participants for a quick heart-to-heart interview!"</p>
<hr/><p>Inside the racing preparation area of Mystery Island, Pasadena was currently examining her pink pilot hat. In the midst of the racing match, she had actually hoped that her precious head garment could be at least recoverable, but as it turned out, the headgear was barely recognizable, let alone recoverable. It had been scorched to the point where the only remains of its original colour were pink stains on the black cover; in fact, it had been consumed to the point that the visor was completely gone. Those explosions and projectiles really did a number on it.</p><p>Pasadena passed her free hand through her hair, which flew freely behind her back now. After first realizing the state of her hat, she had almost had a heart attack upon thinking that there was a chance her hair had suffered a similar fate, but she later found out that the hat had sacrificed itself to keep the rest of her head safe. She had even untied her pigtails to fast check her hair, and in the commotion she had lost the hair ties she used to keep them tied up. Now her hair was a complete mess all around her face… and her hat was basically done for.</p><p>She wasn't exactly in a good mood for this reason, despite the incredible results achieved in the last event, and after the race she had to excuse herself from her temporary racing partner as Coco wanted to go celebrate right away. Right now, Pasadena sat on a bench from where she could watch, afar, Coco speaking in excitement with the poultry commentators of Motorworld, answering their standard-issue questions with very non-standard replies. Beside her, Crash and Crunch stood with big proud smiles, their racing competitiveness long forgotten.</p><p>For some reason, Pasadena didn't feel the need to join them. She did deserve a place beside Coco right now, of course, and to be honest the bandicoots as a whole weren't half bad as a company, that without considering her attempts at flirting with Crash at least (from the bandicoot's point of view that is—if it were for her it would be great all the time).</p><p>Yet, deep down, she'd always felt out of place in one way or another when she was around them. Especially while she wasn't racing, out of her element.</p><p>There was always something else going on with the bandicoots, what with their search for Von Clutch's power gems being less of a way to obtain the property of Motorworld and more of a race against Cortex in order to do it before the evil scientist could himself.</p><p>Hero business wasn't really her field. Though…</p><p>"Pasadena," the German-accented voice took her by surprise. She stood up, almost jumping out of the seat, and hastily turned towards the intruder. Her lines relaxed though as she recognized the short form of her employer.</p><p>"Oh, boss," she said. When Von Clutch didn't immediately follow up with an answer of his own, she continued to speak with the first thing she could talk about. "I heard you had quite the matchup with Cortex last race."</p><p>"Oh, <em>ya,</em> that was quite the duel. Too bad I couldn't keep the performance up to the end," he replied. "But what's done is done. After all, there's always a rematch to look forward to sooner or later… even as early as this afternoon. Depends on how combative our guests are."</p><p>"Hmm. Then, I'll be ready for them," Pasadena said simply, looking at the bandicoots once again. She was rather pensive, and when Von Clutch spoke again, she realised that perhaps her feelings were a bit too much easy to read.</p><p>"Seems to me there's something on your mind keeping you from celebrating, Pasadena. Something going on with your pilot gear, I guess, <em>ya?"</em></p><p>Pasadena glanced at her KIA hat, and sighed. "Ugh… your guess is right. I never realized how much I depended on this thing, but now I do." As to show what she meant, she tried to push some hair locks out of her face, a move that resulted in double the quantity of hair getting right over her eyes. Exasperated, she eventually settled for freeing at least her left eye.</p><p>Von Clutch chuckled at the scene. "I'll say, without your typical hairstyle you sure look and act like a different person, <em>frau</em>. However, I think I have the solution for your current predicament, Pasadena."</p><p>She looked at him with raised, dubious eyebrows, but her sceptical expression was replaced by surprise when Von Clutch materialised a hat in his hand. A pink, pilot hat complete with a visor, a perfect clone of her recently damaged one. And if that wasn't enough, he also opened his other hand to reveal a pair of hair ties.</p><p>"How did you—have you been carrying this around all the time?"</p><p>"<em>Nein, </em>but what kind of good park owner would I be if I didn't know the needs of my employees? Well, except for the Park Drones to be honest, but you could say I just treat everyone based on their will to focus on the job." Von Clutch laughed at his own observation. "In any case, take these and fix yourself up, then I suggest treating yourself with some healthy victory basking. I suspect that your last racing partner has started to grow worried a little as I did, if not more than me."</p><p>Pasadena looked at the group far away. Right now Stew and Chick were interviewing Crash and Crunch—something had managed to get Stew to laugh hysterically while Crash scratched his head in a cute way—ahem, a confused way, and Chick and Crunch looked awkwardly at each other. For the moment, Coco wasn't the focus, and Pasadena caught her looking back at her—the bandicoot girl immediately turned away but she didn't miss it.</p><p>"Right even on that, boss. Heh… thank you, I guess, Von Clutch—" Pasadena turned back to look at Ebenezer only to realise that he was gone. She wasn't surprised nor offended by his sudden disappearance, as Von Clutch had the habit to jump from one task to the other in the blink of an eye, always staying true to his role as the Park's owner. She was used to it by now, though that didn't prevent her from being taken aback every now and then.</p><p>Letting out a breath, Pasadena got to work, tying her hair back into her beloved long pigtails and using the replacement hat to complete her look. Then, she resolved to pay a visit to the marsupial girl she had shared victory with, walking up to her.</p><p>"Oh, so we finally have the chance to interview the second half of the victorious duo, race fans!" Chick announced, looking at the camera being held by an exerting Park Drone (was there a single one of them that liked their job? Pasadena had her doubts). He and a recently recovered Stew moved up to her, but Coco was faster than them and joined her before they could even ask the first question.</p><p>"Took you long enough, slow-poke," Coco teased. Pasadena huffed without replying.</p><p>"Hey, I'm just joking Pasa."</p><p>"I remember telling you not to call me that."</p><p>"Then tell me you actually don't like me calling you that."</p><p>…ugh.</p><p>Coco giggled. "Any-hoo, why all the fuss with the hat? If the hair was a problem I could lend you something to help you up with it. I wonder how you'd look like with a ponytail."</p><p>"I like my hair the way it is, thank you very much. Besides, ponytails are less aerodynamic."</p><p>"Oh, come on! That's preposterous, it's not like you need to be 'aerodynamic' to shoot people down!"</p><p>"Maybe, but it helps when you ain't doing that all the time," Pasadena grinned mischievously once she realized Coco had raised her tone. "Sorry for touching a nerve!"</p><p>"Oh, forget about it…" Coco replied with a pout. "I still think you could use some variation here and there."</p><p>"Maybe sometime… but not anytime soon, gal."</p><p>Before Coco could press her further, the chicken interviewers finally inserted themselves into the conversation.</p><p>"Pasadena O'Possum! Long-time veteran of Motoworld's circuits, as opposed to her recent racing buddy, Coco Bandicoot. How does it feel to share first place with a newcomer?"</p><p>"Well…" Pasadena thought about it for a moment. "It isn't something that happens a lot, ya' know. I usually like to take my trophy all for myself."</p><p>"Hey, a bit of team-work does wonders sometimes!" Coco immediately added.</p><p>"Yeah, but there's always something great in being able to achieve victory all by yourself… besides, there are times you don't want to get slowed down," Pasadena said with a grin. Coco pouted, and this time it didn't look like she was playing it for laughs.</p><p>"Then again…" she said, looking up in thought for a moment. "I recognise that sometimes joining up forces with an opponent can help both parties involved in a race that feels hard to begin with."</p><p>"That's interesting… but, tell us, O'Possum, I can't wrap my mind about how you and Coco Bandicoot here actually stayed together up to the very end," Stew intervened. "I'm sure our viewers remember you are no stranger at a last-moment de-clash during Motorworld's racing events. We surely didn't expect a lack of betrayal today!"</p><p>"Tell me something about it!" Crunch said with some bitterness. "I still didn't forgive you for that stunt you pulled three days ago, O'Possum!"</p><p>Pasadena couldn't help letting out a giggle at Crunch's troubles with a not-so-funny experience in a past race, when he'd clashed with her vehicle. "Oh, don't be such a fuss. Besides, you thought about doing it yourself, didn't you?"</p><p>"Yeah! But… you did it before I could!"</p><p>"Think faster next time, champ," Pasadena replied. Crunch sighed in defeat, then punched a fist into his metallic palm.</p><p>"You bet I will… though, Stew has a point here. What with the loyalty this time? What was different?"</p><p>Pasadena looked at Coco for a moment. She reminisced about her experience on Tiki Turbo less than one hour and a half before, remembering how the two had managed to collaborate despite their differences, beating the Cortexes down on that last rush for the finish line.</p><p>"I dunno… I guess it felt right to get a win together, this once," Pasadena said, shrugging her shoulders. She then placed a hand over Coco's shoulder.</p><p>"You were a good racing partner, I'll admit that."</p><p>"And you weren't half bad as some people think here…" Coco said, firing a glance at her two brothers. Crash and Crunch looked elsewhere, but Pasadena took the observation for what it was—she recognised she had played fowl quite a few times with the bodybuilder.</p><p>As for Crash…</p><p>"Uuh? Pasadena?"</p><p>Pasadena realised she had been staring at Crash for a full ten seconds without saying a word, much to Crash's chagrin. Crunch and Coco smiled in amusement as the possum tried to recollect herself.</p><p>"Oh, sorry, got… carried away, ya' know?" she said. She then proceeded to put her entire arm over Coco's shoulders playfully, then looked back at the poultry commentator who had questioned her in the first place. "But yeah, I wouldn't change what I did back there, Stew. Well… just this once, at least!"</p><p>"Well, you heard it right from the star herself, race fans," Chick said, looking back at the camera held by the unfortunate Park Drone. "They were both convinced to help each other and share the final prize, without second thoughts!"</p><p>"You can say it again, Chick!" Stew joined him. "Cock-a-doo-doo me if this isn't the start of a real friendship!"</p><p>"We shall see if that will hold up in subsequent matches, Stew. For now that is all from your loyal commentators, sports fans! Stay tuned for more chaos from Von Clutch's Motorworld as we approach the end of the recent season!"</p><p>Chick and Stew thus signalled the park drone to cut the feed, who promptly collapsed on the ground under the weight of the equipment, and simply wished luck for future races to the bandicoots and Pasadena before departing.</p><p>"Those chicken guys always have something witty to say, uh?" Crunch noted.</p><p>"You don't even know the half of it. Chick and Stew have been working here in Motorworld non-stop from before I even started, and they don't look tired by their job one bit!" Pasadena replied.</p><p>"Well... I can say they know some interesting questions to ask," Coco said. Crash let out some agreeing babble as well.</p><p>"I don't see the Cortexes anywhere, though," Pasadena said. Cortex, Nina and N. Gin had disappeared right after the end of the race. "I thought they would stick around for the interview, Cortex usually does."</p><p>"Well, Cortex sometimes is so stuck-up with his plans that he even skips an easy way to fuel his own ego such as this one. N. Gin is always beside him, so no surprise in not seeing him here either. As for Nina… well, you know she can be quite the sore loser."</p><p>"Yeah, she kind of reminds me of someone…" Crunch added, Crash grinning along with him. Coco fired a glare at both of them, but the damage was already done as Pasadena smiled at the tease.</p><p>"Hey, don't look at me that way!" Crunch tried to explain himself when Coco kept glaring at him in particular. "Crash told me you took 'losing something' pretty bad too, before I was even there with you two!"</p><p>Pasadena froze as her mind came to a halt, upon hearing Crunch's remark. Before…?</p><p>"What are you even talking about…?" Coco wondered. Crash babbled something in reply, coming to Crunch's aid.</p><p>"Again with those batteries? C'mon, I was a bit younger back then, it's not like I was being lazy and not recognising your help, unlike someone! Besides, you got kidnapped right after that, and I helped you later!"</p><p>"Yeah, Crash, I gotta side with her on this one now that she puts it that way, why helping Cortex? I thought it was pretty clear he was a bad guy already back then."</p><p>Crash looked at Coco and Crunch, then shrugged. "Don't you tell me you were bored again, that's not enough of a reason! Don't you dare Crash, Cortex <em>literally created you! </em>You should've known better, admit it!"</p><p>For a moment, Pasadena felt like her heart had missed a beat.</p><p>Crash scratched his head in embarrassment, then babbled some apology.</p><p>"Oh, I wasn't being angry Crash, I just… I don't want you to get tricked that easily. You're still my big brother even after all this time, I don't want you to get in trouble if you can help it."</p><p>Crash smiled, babbled another unintelligible reply, then proceeded to hug her sister.</p><p>"Oh, stop it. Besides, it's not like I actively tried to stop you from beating Cortex… unlike someone."</p><p>"Hey! Are you forgettin' something?! Like the fact I was brainwashed by that guy?" Crunch protested.</p><p>"Just jokin' Crunch. Come here, you're a big brother too, an <em>actual </em>big one that is," Coco said, laughing heartily. Crunch sighed but nonetheless joined them in the hug, wrapping easily his arms around them both.</p><p>The stayed like that for a few seconds before something occurred to Coco. "Hey Pasa, sorry about the family affection showcase here, we got a bit carried away—"</p><p>She looked at her only to discover that the possum was gone.</p><p>"Huh?" she said, leaving both of her brothers, who were equally confused. "Where did she go?"</p><p>"I dunno… she was right here."</p><p>Crash let out an interrogative noise.</p><p>"Oh…" Coco said, looking around the immediate surroundings in the area, but there was no sign of her. "I don't even remember her ever leaving without even saying goodbye before this. Huh…"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Pasadena looked beyond the corner, making sure not to lean too much, lest getting detected sooner than she wanted.</p><p>Sure enough, her target was where she was supposed to be. Coco Bandicoot rested her back on a path fence inside Motorworld's central hub, the Midway. There were some people walking about, but not as many as there were in the busiest hours of the day. Therefore, she was effectively alone, savouring an ice-cream cone which was surprisingly not wumpa-flavoured. She must've found a Park Drone a bit more creative than usual selling them.</p><p>'<em>Focus, Pasadena, focus!' </em>the possum shook her head when her mind was already digressing. She couldn't let herself get distracted right now. She wanted to talk with her for a moment alone, without the bandicoot brothers messing around in the surroundings.</p><p>Not that she minded their presence… far from it. The reason for that was a bit more complex…</p><p>She wanted to meet Coco alone because what she wanted to talk about… it was a bit… embarrassing? Awkward? Weird?</p><p>She wasn't sure how to define it, but when the questions had arisen in her the previous day, since the bandicoots had ended up referencing their own past, Pasadena had suddenly become much more timid than she usually acted… to the point of running for it once she'd realised the siblings were not looking at her.</p><p>She wasn't sure she could handle one curious face staring at her after listening to her inner thoughts, let alone <em>three.</em> She wanted to start slow, at least for now… and she definitely didn't want to let this one chance to talk to Coco go to waste.</p><p>She inhaled, trying to not look like she was going to explode, then made a step forward, then another. Trying to think about getting there rather than the upcoming talk, Pasadena tried her best to fake a normal approach to Coco.</p><p>Her efforts ended up not being needed, because when Coco immediately recognised her among the crowd of human visitors of the park, her interest was caught by her attire rather than her behaviour.</p><p>Gone was the usual, blue-coloured pilot uniform that Pasadena was almost always found wearing in Motorworld, sans that one time she'd tried to impress Crash with a western cowgirl costume. Crash had ended up thinking she was wearing a hunter suit and was going to 'get' him no matter what. That was a fun time.</p><p>Now, Pasadena's clothes were much more casual looking. She wore a simple blue t-shirt, not that much dissimilar from Coco's white one, and green pants with a peculiar symbol on the sides of the legs, the same symbol that Von Clutch's proudly sported on his helmet, with a pair of complimenting black shoes. The only part of her look that had gone untouched from her usual appearance was her pink hat, along with her typical hairstyle.</p><p>Coco was surprised by Pasadena's new choice in clothing, but she nonetheless decided to wave at her, if only to greet her. Pasadena waved back, awkwardly, but proceeded anyway with fast steps to go and face her.</p><p>"Hey, Pasadena! Long time no see," Coco started. She eyed her a bit more, then took a lick of her ice-cream as if to cement her judgement. "Not planning to take part in any race today, I guess?"</p><p>"Yep, you aren't wrong," Pasadena let out a chuckle at her immediate observation, though it came out forced. Now, Coco was already starting to wonder what was that about. "A day off won't hurt, right?"</p><p>"Huh-uh… I heard form a Park Drone that he's not had a day off since the Pleistocene though."</p><p>Pasadena rolled her eyes. "Those guys always make a big deal about everything, don't take them too seriously."</p><p>"He was crying behind the mask as well."</p><p>She scoffed. "Hey, I can't be responsible for all of the other employees here. Not my fault they accepted a job they don't like!"</p><p>"Hey, hey, I was just joking Pasa," Coco said. "The guy was just annoyed. Very annoyed that is, but he wasn't desperate… probably."</p><p>Pasadena wasn't fully convinced, but at least the conversation had eased her enough to actually approach Coco. She leaned beside her on the fence, and there she stayed in silence for a moment, taking in the view of Motorworld's hub.</p><p>Coco took another lick of her ice-cream. "So… what's on your mind?"</p><p>"Me? Oh, nothing in particular, I was just…"</p><p>"Pasadena, when you're walking around you're either bragging about your last race exploits or trying to convince Crash to date you."</p><p>"Hey, that's not true!"</p><p>"Perhaps not always, but more often than not. But still, I don't really think you have just showed up here just because you wanted to chat. Do you?"</p><p>Pasadena sighed. "Am I that easy to read?"</p><p>"Only when you're out of your comfort zone, or in this case, of your uniform," Coco winked, then took another lick, the ice-cream decreasing in size. Pasadena groaned.</p><p>"All right, you got me bandicoot. Soo, uh... there something that's been bugging me since yesterday."</p><p>"Huh?" Coco wondered in curiosity. "You mean since the race that we won together?"</p><p>"Yeah, that one. It isn't about the race itself, really," Pasadena specified. She closed her hands together, and when Coco looked at her, she saw she was in visible struggle. Coco guessed that whatever was bothering had to be connected with her sudden disappearance, after their interview with Chick and Stew.</p><p>"Hey, you're all right?"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah! Just gimme a second to think how I can say it…" Pasadena replied. She closed her eyes and thought for a few moments about her current feelings, and how to express them.</p><p>"Uuh… your brother, uh, Crunch I think. So, he mentioned something about joining you… later?"</p><p>"Oh, right, he did. I don't recall telling you how he actually showed up into my and Crash's lives, right? That's quite a fun story."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess… yesterday I also heard you saying something about Cortex and Crash. Something about the fact he has been created by him?"</p><p>Coco took an entire bite out of the ice-cream. She was already at the wafer. "Oh, I don't remember that actually… and, to be honest, it makes sense I don't. That's a less fun story to talk about, really."</p><p>"Oh…" Pasadena let out, then stayed silent. Coco waited a whole ten seconds before realising the possum wasn't gonna talk.</p><p>"Hey, you still wanna hear about it?"</p><p>"No, no, I don't want to make you recall things you may not like," Pasadena explained. "It's just that… oh, for crying out loud, why I am even asking this!?"</p><p>She brought her hands to her face. Coco didn't speak further, deciding to finish off the remains of her ice-cream. Her hands were free when the possum finally dared to speak again.</p><p>"You know, you just kind of dropped the fact that you bandicoots were kind of… <em>created, </em>yesterday. And that… that made me, uh, think."</p><p>"About what?"</p><p>"About, err…" Pasadena's voice lowered down to a whisper. "About me."</p><p>Coco eyes widened. That… was a legitimate thought. It had never occurred to her to be honest, but every single animal mutant she had met up to the happenings in Motorworld had been a creation of Cortex's (and Brio's) Evolvo-Ray—whatever the version or perpetrator of the mutation process was. More or less she and her family were connected to Cortex and whoever happened to work with him in the past and the present, just as Cortex's mutant lackeys were connected to him.</p><p>Pasadena, though? She just… kind of was there in Motorworld, quite a distance away from the Wumpa Islands and Cortex's machinations. It was a fair question… where did she came from? How did she end up here of all places?</p><p>One thing was Coco's thinking about this, though, at most a curios fact from her point of view. And another was when the one making that question in the first place was Pasadena herself.</p><p>"I mean… you bandicoots appear to have a good idea of how you and your brothers came to be, right?" Pasadena continued. "If you were joking about it with Crash and Crunch yesterday, I mean… but I-I don't have <em>anything, </em>Coco. I don't <em>know </em>anything."</p><p>"Well… are you sure? Don't you have any memories, even distant ones?"</p><p>"That's the problem! Up until now I have never questioned it, but it just occurred to me that I have little to no memory of what I did before Motorworld… no, I actually don't remember a single thing, for all I know I've worked for Von Clutch for my whole life. I have worked here for a long time, that's true, but I gotta have lived somewhere else before joining the theme park, right?"</p><p>"I… guess?" Coco wasn't sure how to reply. She was as ignorant as the possum herself, when it came to know what had happened that long ago.</p><p>"So, the question remains, and I can't really answer it… and it's been bothering me. A lot! I couldn't even sleep well last night!" Pasadena exclaimed, her voice rising. "It's starting to annoy me! I-I'm starting to get sick of it!"</p><p>"Hey, hey, calm down, Pasa!" Coco finally said once the possum was close to shouting. "I <em>know</em> it's not easy, but there's no need to get worked up!"</p><p>Pasadena halted. "You… do?"</p><p>"Well… kind of," Coco flushed under her gaze. "It's been something that me and Crash talked more than once about, how we became what we are. It was never easy, because none of us liked Cortex, but still… it was something we needed to live with, in the end. It wasn't about not knowing how we were born, though… it was about knowing it and not liking it."</p><p>Pasadena stayed in silence, then slumped back on the fence. "Gah, I just lashed out like an idiot. Sorry for being stupid…"</p><p>"No worries. Hey, I sometimes lose my temper too," Coco smiled. Then, her face got more serious.</p><p>"Look, my own story is kind of… a complex subject for me, and I don't think I want to talk about it right now if that's okay with you…"</p><p>Pasadena shook her head. "No, I won't press on if that bothers you, Coco."</p><p>"But still, perhaps sometime we can have a chat about it if you want. When we both feel like it, I mean… today I kind of wanted to relax myself."</p><p>Coco probably didn't mean to accuse her, but still Pasadena couldn't help feeling like she had just interrupted something with her appearance.</p><p>"Anyway, there's still something I can tell you, if that's of any help. It might still hurt a little not knowing exactly what it was like… before. But that doesn't really change how things are today, does it?"</p><p>Pasadena thought about her words for a moment. "I guess?"</p><p>"You're still Pasadena O'Possum, with or without knowing where the heck you came from!" Coco gave her a playful punch on her shoulder. "Aren't you the fastest racer in Motorworld? Always aiming for first place, always willing to resort to any tactic, no matter how hard to pull off, or how dirty?"</p><p>"Hey, don't put it that way. That kinda makes me look bad!"</p><p>"Not my issue, just stating the facts," Coco stuck out her tongue, though she was still smiling. "Still, even after what you told me, after you realised you kind of have no idea what you did before joining the park… does it really change who you are right now?"</p><p>"Hmm…" Pasadena mumbled to herself. "I guess… it doesn't. The thought… it does bother me, but to be honest what I do here in Motorworld… I do remember a little how I built my career here, how I got old Von Clutch to actually appreciate my racing… and pay me, rather than just brushing the job off as 'unpaid internship'."</p><p>Coco smiled at the remark. "That guy definitely has some scam genes in him, I'll tell you that."</p><p>"Can't say you're wrong."</p><p>They both laughed together for a moment, then remained silent, looking at the view of the Midway once again.</p><p>"The thought is still bothering you though… right?"</p><p>Pasadena sighed. "Yeah… I don't think I can just ignore it, even if what you said is true. I'll have to deal with this, somehow… but I'll say it's less annoying now."</p><p>She turned her head and placed a hand on the bandicoot's shoulder. "Thank you, Coco."</p><p>Coco looked at her for a moment, then flushed. "Hey, don't mention it!"</p><p>"Right," Pasadena chuckled at the reaction. Then she stood up. "I've been bothering you long enough, now I'll go. See ya' around, girl."</p><p>"Hey… I'm know I'm repeating things, but… if you wanna have a talk sometime these days… I'm still here, okay?"</p><p>She nodded.</p><p>"And, if you're still adamant on trying to understand more about your past… then, maybe go and have a talk with Crunch and Crash. I'm sure they wouldn't say no if you asked them to share their stories about their own origins, they like to brag even more than you! But seriously… perhaps they can help you out."</p><p>"I'll see what I can do. Thank you…" Pasadena replied. With a wave, she turned her back and walked away.</p><p>Her discussion with Coco had proved more fruitful than anticipated. Even if her issue hadn't been fully solved yet, at least now she wasn't constantly fidgeting and feeling heavy because of it.</p><p>Still, it wasn't gone, so she still had to solve the problem at hand. She had all day to sort things out… right now, all she could do was to follow Coco's own advice and go interrogate her brothers.</p><p>'<em>Guess this was just the beginning, Pasadena…' </em>she thought to herself.</p><hr/><p>"Hand me the wrench, Crash. No, not the hydraulic one, the other one!"</p><p>Crash looked at the red-coloured wrench he was holding, then he looked at Crunch interrogatively.</p><p>"Ugh… I mean the <em>grey </em>one, okay? The one that I need to twist bolts and the such, come on!"</p><p>Crash finally took the hint, his face lighting up. He turned around and rushed back to the tools bag while Crunch groaned.</p><p>How Crash managed to keep <em>his </em>own vehicles working all the time was beyond his understanding. He glanced at the road monster they were working on right now, one of Crunch's proudest achievements—the Guzzler, as he himself had dubbed it. An impressive machine, with tank tracks on the back and truck wheels on the front, sporting an engine to make the competition seethe in envy!</p><p>Thank goodness for Motorworld's machine substitution system, or else this baby would've gone by the end of the first race. That way, Crunch didn't have to worry about its well-being mid-race and be free to focus on leaving his opponents breathing the bad vapours coming from the exhaust of the car.</p><p>Well, that was he imagined to do… if it wasn't for the fact that the thing had been refusing to turn on for hours since the last race, and after all that time Crunch was no closer to understanding just what in the name of the Ancients was wrong with it. He was so frustrated that Crash had taken notice and offered his help on the matter. And despite whether his brother was being actually helpful or not could be debated, Crunch was still glad to have a helping hand.</p><p>Truth be told, both he and Crash <em>slightly </em>depended on their much more tech-savvy sister for these kinds of things. A shame that the brothers had lost a bet that morning concerning Willie Wumpa Cheeks' next joke, which for some reason had managed to get Dr. Cortex to laugh. Whether Cortex had done so intentionally to spite the male bandicoots was a matter shrouded in mystery, but a bet was a bet, and right now Coco had fresh new wumpa coins to spend around the park… and free time for herself, protected from her brothers' requests of help by their own promise.</p><p>Crunch straightened his back for a moment, then he resolutely looked in the direction where Crash had moved. They could still find their way around this mess themselves, they couldn't always count on their little sister for everything!</p><p>He expected Crash to be walking up to him proudly with the right tool in his hand. Crunch's prediction had proved half-right: Crash had the correct wrench this time.</p><p>He wasn't walking though. He was running for his life, and he literally jumped on Crunch, who barely managed to catch him.</p><p>"Whoa!" Crunch yelled, "Hey, what gives?!"</p><p>Crash simply blabbered in fright, covering his eyes with one arm and agitating the arm holding the wrench at something in front of them. When Crunch followed the direction, he finally understood what was going on.</p><p>Before them stood Pasadena O'Possum. And she was in casual clothes, for some reason. Mmmh… a bad sign for Crash, at first glance.</p><p>"Oh boy…" Crunch let out. "Come on, Crash, you can't go around letting yourself get frightened by every female possum you encounter, right?"</p><p>Crash bleated something in reply. At that point, Crunch was beginning to get annoyed, so he made sure to glare at him with his best 'fire' gaze, remembering a trick or two from his past elemental days. It worked, as Crash scrambled to get out of his grasp, though he kept grumbling intelligibly to himself, keeping his distance from the possum.</p><p>"So, uh... I probably should ask you to forgive us, but I guess you know the drill by now, O'Possum," Crunch scratched his head as he finally addressed the visitor.</p><p>"You guessed right, Crunch," Pasadena chuckled. Crunch expected her to throw another flirtatious jab at poor Crash; instead, the possum stayed silent, grabbing one arm with her other hand and fidgeting on the place.</p><p>At first, Crunch had thought that Pasadena had tried to ask Crash on a date seconds before, given the lack of her usual pilot uniform, and perhaps that was the same thought that had crossed Crash's mind as well when she first saw her. However, this was different… not at all what he expected from the racing veteran. He glanced at his brother, who similarly looked perplexed. They evidently shared their confusion over Pasadena's appearance and behaviour.</p><p>If she wasn't here to tease Crash as usual, then what was she here for?</p><p>"So, guys… how's it been going?" Pasadena forced herself to say.</p><p>Gah, that came out worse than she thought. And it was bad to begin with… but she needed an opener! She couldn't just stand there all day!</p><p>"Well… as usual, though I wouldn't say it's my luckiest day. I've been fighting with my Guzzler here the whole day, but the darn thing won't even respond when I try to start the engine," Crunch replied. "Crash here wasn't much luckier with his ideas, though I still don't think it was worth trying to add wumpa juice to the oil."</p><p>Crunch glared at him, but Crash simply shrugged with half-interest. The bigger bandicoot knew that his smaller brother was going to accidentally spill the beans to Coco… and that she wouldn't leave them alone on this for weeks after.</p><p>He groaned. "Anyway, we're still here trying to get this thing repaired before the next match. Speaking of which…" he eyed Pasadena. "Not planning to take part in them today?"</p><p>"Oh, I don't think there's going to be any match-ups today. Slow day at the park," Pasadena explained. "But, I sort of… took the day off, yeah."</p><p>"Jeez, you really wanted to take that date, uh?"</p><p>"Wait, date?" Pasadena put two and two together when she saw Crash's face contort in fear. "Oh! Oh, no," she finally let out a hearty laugh upon realising what the two brothers had been thinking the entire time. "I'm not here for a date…" she threw an inviting glance to Crash, "though I wouldn't say no to one."</p><p>Crash gulped, then energetically shook his head.</p><p>Pasadena shrugged. "There's time for everyone to change their views."</p><p>Crunch chuckled at the banter. "Okay, got that. If it isn't a date then… any reason you paid us a visit? Too bad Coco isn't here, you two seem to get along pretty well."</p><p>"Well, actually… I already met her earlier, and we talked a little bit," Pasadena confessed. Crunch raised an eyebrow. "We talked, and she, uh… suggested me to ask your opinion on a matter that I've been thinking about."</p><p>Both Crash and Crunch waited for her to explain herself better, so Pasadena tried her best to make her point clear. "I… since I heard you and your sister talk yesterday, after the race in which she and I won… I've been thinking about the 'past' you've mentioned there, after the interview. And… and that got me thinking about my own, uuuh… past."</p><p>Crash tilted his head, not fully understanding what was preoccupying Pasadena. Crunch, on the other hand, nodded understandingly.</p><p>"Mmmh… I think I know what you're feeling right now," he left the wrench on the chair of the Guzzler, then leaned on the car's side, taking the occasion to rest his back. "Well, I know where you're coming from at least. Wanna know a bit more about how the heck a trio of weird bandicoots like us came to be?"</p><p>Pasadena nodded. It wasn't specifically about that, but she'd take it.</p><p>"Well, that's a funny story, because each one of us has its own tale to share," Crunch explained. "Coco's story is a bit complicated, and perhaps she'll better explain it herself one day. As for me, well… I kind of turned out alright, I guess. Not bad for a brain-washed half-cyborg, uh?"</p><p>Pasadena's eyes widened.</p><p>"Ah, just joking O'Possum," Crunch grinned when she saw her getting surprised, then made sure to flex the arm with the metal hand. "This muscle right here is all my own doing. Only the hand is really artificial, and even then, I built that myself."</p><p>Pasadena couldn't help rolling her eyes. At least, the conversation was proving lighter than expected compared to her talk with Coco.</p><p>"In any case, I was created by Cortex, as you might already know," Crunch explained. "He made me with the sole reason of destroying Crash, and believe me… I tried hard. I even had elemental masks lending me their powers to help me out…"</p><p>He glanced at Crash, "but this little bandicoot was still able to beat me back each time. Still wondering how you pulled that off, by the way."</p><p>Once again, Crash shrugged.</p><p>"So, long story short, Crash defeats me one last time and destroys Cortex's new space station, and the weirdest thing happens: he rescues me and manages with the help of Aku-Aku and Coco to free me from some sort of mind control Big-N was forcing on me with the help of the other ugly floating mask. I definitely didn't expect that at the time, but I'll be honest, I'm glad it happened. At least, I got two little fellas that I can grab to mess their heads whenever I want."</p><p>Crash leaped out before Crunch could grab him with the metal arm. Crash voiced his displeasure in gibberish while Crunch laughed aloud.</p><p>"And that's the end for me, really, O'Possum. I moved on and stuff, because to be honest, what's really to remember of that time? It's not like I want to go back—no thank you, Crunch is good where he is."</p><p>Pasadena nodded. "I understand… thank you. She took a hair strand beside her head and fiddled with it. "You… you don't think about it as much, then?"</p><p>Crunch nodded. "I'm really good the way things are. Though I sort of got brain-washed again later, but that's another minor story concerning a giant egg man I'd rather not talk about right now."</p><p>That had the opposite effect on her, but she decided not to insist further. "That's… kind of my problem right now. I can't remove the thought out of my head, and it's been bothering me more than I want. Coco said something similar, about not letting what happened in the past influence me… but the thing is, I-I <em>don't know what happened to me."</em></p><p>Crunch wasn't sure how to reply to that, so he simply nodded in silence, hoping this wouldn't end up in an awkward silence.</p><p>Surprisingly, Crash came to the rescue, taking the initiative. He approached Pasadena on his own accord, observing her as her gaze went to the ground, showing a side of her Crash never really experienced.</p><p>He blabbered something, getting her attention. He continued speaking unintelligibly, and once he was done, all Pasadena could say was, "Uuhh… what?"</p><p>"Guess Crash wants to share a bit of his own story, huh?" Crunch intervened. Crash made a thumbs-up to him, then did the same to Pasadena—now it was her turn to be confused.</p><p>"Well then, Crash's story is an even wilder one, O'Possum. He was created by Cortex, alright, but did you know he wanted to make him the general of his personal mutant army?"</p><p>Pasadena shook her head. That sounded a bit different from the weird, manic Cortex she was used to, the one who could barely stand being in the same room with Willie.</p><p>"He tried to brainwash him as well, but that was a different type of approach and it ended up malfunctioning. Crash managed to escape, then traversed all the way through the Wumpa islands, our home archipelago, to go and face him one final time. He was <em>alone </em>during the entire ordeal, and yet he doesn't strike me as the type that's bothered that much from what happened back in those times. Don'tcha, Crash?"</p><p>Crash made a 'no' sign with his hands, and then spoke out to confirm it. He looked back at Pasadena again, then opened his arms, indicating himself first, then Crunch, and finally her.</p><p>Pasadena tried to decipher what the bandicoot was saying. "Do you mean that… our stories are similar?"</p><p>Crash nodded.</p><p>"But… but you at least you know what happened to you. You can learn to live with it… I don't!"</p><p>"That's true," Crunch said, "but perhaps, that's not Crash's main point here. He's more about how in the end it was less about how he was created, or even who created him in the first place, and more about the adventure later to get back at Cortex."</p><p>Crash blabbered affirmatively. Then, he looked a Pasadena once again. Seeing her unconvinced, he stuck his tongue sideward out in thought. Then, he had an idea.</p><p>He gestured her to follow him. This was a first, and it was Pasadena's turn to hesitate in accepting his offer, but Crash insisted and she eventually relented. They went to the opened hatch of the Guzzler.</p><p>"What's up with that?" Pasadena asked.</p><p>"You tell me," Crunch grunted, suddenly losing interest when the conversation went back to their most recent failure. Crash pointed at the engine, then blabbered a question.</p><p>"Hey… you want me to check it out?"</p><p>How was it connected even to her our problem!?</p><p>Crash nodded. Pasadena huffed, but nonetheless inserted both hands in the engine inspecting it.</p><p>"Why am I even doing this…" she grumbled to herself. It took her no longer than five seconds to find a tube sticking out where it shouldn't. Moved it around a little, stuck it in its proper place, checked around and then…</p><p>"That should do it."</p><p>Crunch jerked around, his eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"</p><p>"Something was off with the connections, but now it should be good to go. Try it," Pasadena threw a challenging look at him. Crunch narrowed his eyes, but he nonetheless reached out with a hand to twist the keys and try turning on the car.</p><p>It buzzed back to life instantly.</p><p>"HOW IN T-T-THE…" Crunch stuttered, flabbergasted, as the Guzzler sounded ready to take off as if it had had no problems whatsoever.</p><p>"Sometimes, even if you're a pilot, you just gotta learn how your steed works. The better you know it, the better you'll drive it later," the possum recited, then she winked teasingly at him.</p><p>Crunch was fuming. "You're gonna have to tell me what the fudge you pulled off inside my car in there sometime, O'Possum."</p><p>"Maybe. A champion never shares her secrets," Pasadena taunted. Crunch grunted, though he smiled at the challenge. "We'll see about that."</p><p>Crash let out a happy yell, startling Pasadena. She had all but <em>forgotten </em>about him.</p><p>"Wait…" she looked inquisitively at him, but Crash was by now grinning with his arms crossed.</p><p>"Seems to me he just means you're pretty much alright as you are, Pasadena," Crunch noted, once again going to help of the possum in deciphering Crash's body language. "You fixed our problem here, that I can't argue with. And I'm pretty sure that's a thing that remains true regardless of whatever it was that happened to you in the past. Isn't that right?"</p><p>"I… guess…" Pasadena thought to herself. It was one thing being told a similar concept by Coco… but Crash had made a concrete example of what they meant. He had successfully got her distracted by her current predicament, and boom: she just achieved the impossible in the eyes of both bandicoots.</p><p>She smiled weakly. "I guess you two boys are right, somehow…"</p><p>"Why, thank you, that's nice to hear… even if it's stating the obvious. I'm always right, after all," Crunch grinned. Once again Pasadena rolled her eyes at the body-builder's antics.</p><p>Crash, on the other hand, simply made thumbs-up with both hands. Pasadena looked at him thankfully, then realised that Crash was close and was relaxed.</p><p>He was vulnerable.</p><p>Before neither of the two bandicoots could react, Pasadena leaned out and gave a peck on Crash's cheek.</p><p>"Thank you… that really helped me," she said, looking back at Crunch. Her words were sincere.</p><p>The serious atmosphere was broken by Crash's scream, who then started running away, flailing his hands in the air while whimpering like a scared dog.</p><p>"Oh, COME ON!" Pasadena shouted at him from afar, having finally had it with Crash's behaviour. "That was just a little peck, you moron! It's not like I kissed you in the mouth!"</p><p>Crunch doubled over in laughter, and Pasadena simply glared at him, though his happiness was hard to ignore and she couldn't hold in some laughter of her own eventually.</p><p>"Boy, you really took him by surprise… Oh, poor Crash. I bet Tawna isn't going to like this."</p><p>Pasadena suddenly froze.</p><p>"Wait… who's Tawna?"</p><hr/><p>Pasadena walked in Motorworld's hub, mentally thanking that currently her mind was occupied with her personal issue.</p><p>Because she wasn't sure what to think about the fact that Crash, the guy she had been flirting with for more than two weeks straight, apparently had a girlfriend at one point and Crunch wasn't even sure if they were still together or not. And that said girlfriend was taller than even Crunch himself, and had apparently a habit of punching people she didn't like.</p><p>She shook her head. <em>'Can't get distracted… not now!'</em></p><p>Talking with the bandicoot brothers had proved helpful if only to prove to her the concept that their sister had shared with her… but the issue was still there deep down, knocking at her mind and nagging her.</p><p>As much as she appreciated the bandicoots' thoughts, she knew she couldn't hope to ignore the need she was feeling right now. Yes, she knew who she was now, that was right, and she was happy with the way things were… but there was still a hole in her past, something she knew nothing about somehow… but was supposed to know.</p><p>It drove her mad, and she needed to get to the bottom of it.</p><p>There was something else she'd taken from the stories the bandicoots had told her. Both Crunch and Crash had been created by their arch-nemesis, Doctor Neo Cortex. Apparently the guy was really an expert in the field of creating intelligent animals, and had even created more mutants to serve him that Pasadena had yet to meet (luckily?). He knew that from Von Clutch's ramblings on Crash and Cortex's past adventures.</p><p>Was… was she a mutant, just like them? Did Cortex know something about all of this, even? About her? Was he possibly responsible even… for her own existence?</p><p>The implications were somewhat disturbing, but she knew there was only one way to find out.</p><hr/><p>"I am telling you, N. Gin… there is something fishy in this park," Cortex lamented. "Something that doesn't let me sleep well at night. Something that we. Cannot. Ignore!"</p><p>"Why would you think that way?" N. Gin asked, trying his best not to show his confusion. "Aren't we… supposed to be the ones causing the suspicions, Dr. Cortex? We ARE the bad buys."</p><p>"Yes, but no. And no, we are not, but yes!" Cortex replied, matter-of-factly. N. Gin could only mutter in complete befuddlement.</p><p>"You dimwit… what I mean, is that this park, Motorworld… doesn't seem to be reactive to our doings and attempts at cheating and changing the races to our advantage."</p><p>"Perhaps, the bandicoots are just too fast?"</p><p>N. Gin regretted his observation as Cortex's hand reached his metallic side, slapping it with a thud. Thank goodness for the missile, it might have taken out a section of its brain after the original incident, but at least it meant part of his head was armoured.</p><p>"No! It means that there is some secondary force at work here… something, or someone, that doesn't seem to be willing to let us, the bandicoots or Von Clutch dominate the races. An independent party that wants to buy time. And we'll have to discover who it is, as soon as possible! There is only space for one evil mastermind in this park, and that's going to be for me and me only!"</p><p>N. Gin nodded energetically. "So, Dr. Cortex… where do we start?"</p><p>Cortex stopped walking. "Uhhh…"</p><p>That was a good question. Motorworld was surprisingly big, and between the visitors and the park drones there were a lot of people to look through. Where could they even begin their investigation?</p><p>"You might have to look very hard if you want to justify your losses, I think. Don't ya'?"</p><p>Cortex screamed and jumped over N. Gin, who barely was able to catch him in mid-flight. The two of them turned around and found themselves in front of a casually clothed possum.</p><p>"Oh… it's you," Cortex remarked, crossing his arms with a frown. "Going around boasting about your career, O'Possum?"</p><p>"Nah… I just wanted to ask you something… but you know, I can return later if you want," Pasadena smiled, gesturing towards something below Cortex. At that point, the scientist realised that we has still sitting on N. Gin arms. When he looked at him, he saw that the cyborg was simply smiling like an idiot.</p><p>"Let me go!" he rudely blurted out, pushing N. Gin away. He dusted himself off, then looked back at Pasadena, who was visibly trying to hide her mirth.</p><p>"Now, if you'll excuse us, me and my assistant here were occupied in a most important conversation. If you've come here just to laugh behind our backs… well, you're free to keep doing so. Away from us," Cortex growled. "I don't have time to lose with the likes of you."</p><p>That effectively blasted her amused smile out of her face, which Cortex appreciated. He still had his old evil speech skills in check at least… as long as the other end of the conversation wasn't the darn bandicoots.</p><p>"Come on, N. Gin," Cortex turned around and started walking, N. Gin right in tow, eager to be a part of the Doctor's next plan.</p><p>"Wait!"</p><p>Cortex scowled, but nonetheless stopped walking. He turned around along with N. Gin, who at this point had raised his remaining eyebrow in puzzlement. Pasadena was still there, a hand raised towards them, as if trying to stop them. She looked… somewhat disturbed by the fact they were leaving.</p><p>"I… I meant it when I said I wanted to ask you something," she explained. "It, uh… it's not really something that demanding either… but I still want to say it."</p><p>'<em>Uh… she's acting weird,' </em>Cortex noted mentally. This was still an annoyance, considering he had already classified Pasadena as the annoying racing girl type to stay away from, but at least his curiosity was piqued.</p><p>"Trust me, O'Possum, I am not liking this conversation more than <em>you</em> do," he said, walking back to be in front of her. He stood upright, not really intimidated by her height, N. Gin right beside him. "Please, elaborate your intentions, so that we may both leave this behind us."</p><p>"Well… I've been thinking about something, and… you created Crash, right?"</p><p>Ugh. He was already regretting this.</p><p>"Yes… I did. My most regretful failure, I'm afraid. What about it?" Cortex was gritting his teeth through his words. He <em>never, ever </em>liked thinking back to that specific event, of all things.</p><p>"Well… you kind of are a guy who knows a lot about, uh, this stuff, right?" Pasadena kept speaking, both Cortex and N. Gin could feel she was finding it hard to come up with words say. He could've sworn she was even sweating.</p><p>"And… I've been wondering about the rest of the mutants that you, uh, created. You made a whole lot, right?"</p><p>Cortex tilted his head. What was the deal with her?</p><p>Then, his face brightened. Who cares, he could gloat about his rightful results for once!</p><p>"Well, now that you speak about it, the bandicoots were not the only results of my work, of course," Cortex began. "I have a whole lot of powerful mutant henchmen at my disposal. We have Tiny Tiger, my most loyal servant who serves as the brawn, we have Dingodile who is specialised in flame tech. And then—"</p><p>"Oh, so you have a lot of them who are, uh, alive?"</p><p>Cortex raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Of course they are. They are all working for me, even now. In fact, I've already called for some of them to come here and join me, N. Gin and my daugh—ahem, my niece, but they said something about Tiny's fobia for theme parks. Ugh… incompetent lazy imbeciles. Always finding an excuse when the boss is away!"</p><p>Pasadena nodded, not really following Cortex's specific references and rants about his personal army of mutants. She passed a hand over her front—yep, she <em>was </em>sweating a little—then took in a long breath.</p><p>"And… are those all of them? The ones working for you?"</p><p>"They are. Do you want a list, O'Possum? I thought you were trying to hook up with the darn bandicoot, not looking for other people."</p><p>"Oh, no. I didn't mean that… I just wondered… if those were <em>all</em> the mutants you have created, pretty much…"</p><p>Cortex suddenly realised what Pasadena was doing. It suddenly clicked it all in his mind, with her nervousness, and the questions she was asking. It was clear now.</p><p>"Wait a second… you are not interested in my work. You are interested in the mutants themselves… any mutants for that matter. You are wondering if you <em>yourself </em>are a mutant, like the bandicoots or my henchmen."</p><p>Pasadena gulped, then meekly nodded. At this point, Cortex was starting to find this conversation more and more interesting as time progressed.</p><p>"Well, well, well. That is an interesting question. N. Gin, you may have joined me later in life, but you have had access to the mutant check-list, right?"</p><p>"Yes, Dr. Cortex," N. Gin replied promptly. "We do still have it somewhere back in the castle. I recall that, barring the bandicoots and Tiny, Dingodile and the others… there were a whole lot of other mutants in the depths of our castle, unaccounted for."</p><p>Pasadena remained silent, her face closed into a sad grimace. Cortex couldn't help grinning for a second while watching her, so he started to walk around her while he spoke.</p><p>"True, true, thank you for your input, N. Gin. Now, that means that yeah, there were more mutants that me and my… <em>slimy</em> old colleague had created back then. But, N. Gin, what happened to the castle after our mutual friend, Crash Bandicoot, invaded it?"</p><p>"Well, Dr. Cortex… it burned, from the base to the top," N. Gin stated. "It took a lot of renovations to make the place viable to live in again."</p><p>Cortex grunted at the useless detail. "Yeah, yeah… but what about the other occupants of the castle?"</p><p>"Well… I've made my check, but ultimately I also believe that most of the mutants that were trapped inside, well… not really in a good place. You know…"</p><p>Cortex gave a glance to Pasadena. Her eyes were wide.</p><p>"Yeah, I'm sorry you're hearing this, O'Possum," Cortex completed the circle around her and stopped right in front of her. Pasadena looked away, embracing herself with her arms, as if trying to shield herself from Cortex's sharp words.</p><p>"But as good old N. Gin has just implied, I regret there is not much we can say about the rest of the mutated animals I created back then. A pity that such a thing happened… if it wasn't for the infernal bandicoot causing such a mess, perhaps there wouldn't have been a loss of <em>lives,</em> would it?"</p><p>He heard a single sob. It was suffocated, but he didn't imagine it, it was real. Cortex at this point was basically giddy with the final results of his speech. He had to give it to N. Gin, he'd also played his part (almost) perfectly.</p><p>"So, if that's the end of it… I guess we'll be going our own ways, O'Possum. Again, my apologies for not being able to help with your doubts. I'm sure you'll be able to piece something together from what we could share with you."</p><p>Pasadena turned around and walked away with heavy steps, almost running, and without waving back. Cortex didn't even deign himself to try to avoid grinning from ear to ear.</p><p>"Oh, man, that was good. Serves her right for insulting me during all those races… that's how you actually win a verbal fight, N. Gin."</p><p>N. Gin clapped his hands. "An incredible job indeed, Dr. Cortex! But why don't you do that with the bandicoots?"</p><p>Another slap over a metal surface was heard. "Ow…"</p><p>"There's an explanation for that, N. Gin, but that one will have to wait. And don't you dare asking about it again. Now, where were we before we were interrupted?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Pasadena's mind was clouded with dark thoughts, showing her images she didn't want to even consider but still stubbornly came up in her mind. There was no assurance that whatever Cortex had told her was the complete truth after all. He might have said the things he said only to hurt her out of spite, it made sense considering just who the guy was.</p><p>Yet, it had worked.</p><p>But why, why would this affect her in the first place? It wasn't like he had outright confirmed some bad news. He just implied things, without even giving her proof of his own words. It didn't mean anything, right? It didn't explain much, she didn't know more than she already did. She <em>shouldn't </em>be feeling like this…</p><p>Another light sob escaped her lips, proving her wrong. Pasadena ended up having to block her mouth with a hand in order to stop it. Already feeling some stares coming her way from the visitors of the park, she went in hiding behind the wall of a mini-game kiosk. There, she eventually gave in and let herself unload for a while, even if it meant shedding a few tears.</p><p>What in tarnation was happening to her…? Von Clutch would probably fire her on the spot if he saw her like this. Something about the image of the park's racing ace and all that.</p><p>And even so… she couldn't hold it. What Cortex had said… he didn't just make her doubts worse off. He had planted even more in her head, and not the nagging type.</p><p>The hurting one. The one that made her not just wonder about <em>where </em>she came from. But also about the who.</p><p>People… who may as well be gone. Leaving her <em>alone.</em></p><p>Another sob. <em>'Holy mother of…'</em></p><p>"I wouldn't really listen to my uncle's shenanigans if I were you, O'Possum."</p><p>Pasadena would've freaked out at the sudden intervention, hadn't she been in the middle of a mental breakdown right now. Sniffing, she tried to make herself decent by passing an arm over her snout—while ignoring the fact she had no sleeve right now to clean on—and raised her head to look at the visitor.</p><p>Nina Cortex. She was opposite of her, leaning on a column of Motorworld's logistics boxes, the ones used to carry around either the park's furniture and assets, or its own internal currency—wumpa coins. Currently, the girl was apparently focused on using one of her huge, metallic hands to… smooth out the nails of the other? Did those things even have nails?</p><p>Regardless, Nina didn't seem to even have noticed her, but she glanced at her for a moment before returning her eyes to her task. No, she knew he was there, she just wasn't that interested... or hid her interest well.</p><p>"Uncle Neo knows what to say when he wants to annoy people… sometimes," Nina elaborated. "When he isn't furious about something at least… such as whenever any bandicoot is around," she was still apparently focused on her manicure activity, refusing to look at the possum while she talked. "In other words; he was just toying with you."</p><p>"D-did you hear…?" Pasadena managed to sputter.</p><p>"Nah. I just saw you hanging out with Coco first, then heard some words from Crunch and Crash earlier while I was walking around. Considering your current state… I'm just putting two and two together, even if I don't know the details."</p><p>Pasadena grunted her understanding and remained silent for a moment. She had managed to regain control of her breath at least.</p><p>"So… what did my uncle tell you so bad, anyway?" Nina said.</p><p>"W-why the sudden interest?" Pasadena questioned sourly. She wasn't exactly in the best mood to talk with another Cortex right now.</p><p>Nina finally deigned herself to look at the possum. And she simply shrugged. "Out of curiosity, I guess. It's not like I have much to do here… listening to the ramblings of my uncle or that other rocket weirdo isn't really in my plans."</p><p>Pasadena didn't really want to keep this conversation going… but what options did she have? Possibly, Nina going around with just some theories on her current predicament may do damage she didn't really need right now on top of what she was already experiencing. At least, she could try to explain herself, even if the girl wasn't exactly the most trustable fellow.</p><p>Moreover… technically speaking, she hadn't thought about talking with Nina, of all people. With her previous encounters, good or bad, eventually resulting with no resolution to her current issue, perhaps Nina could be the key for something she'd missed.</p><p>She was willing to try at least… <em>anything </em>was good at this point.</p><p>"He… he told me about what happened back then in his castle. The fact that the castle burned down later… and that there were other, uh, mutants, trapped in there."</p><p>"Oh, so he told you that? Tsk." She finally stopped working on her mechanical nails and placed the (metal) nail smoother back in a conveniently pocket-sized capsule in the free metallic hand. "That is why I said not to really put that much trust in him. I thought you'd understand it better after a few weeks dealing with Neo, O'Possum."</p><p>Pasadena remained silent. Nina didn't seem to be impressed by her lack of a reply. "Well, newsflash, wild racing ace of Motoworld. He didn't mention anything about what had actually happened to the mutants, right? He just said the bare minimum needed to let you imagine what he wanted you to take from his speech. Crash Bandicoot did really cause chaos in there… I still remember the newspaper I read back then about it at the Academy. But there wasn't really any death involved."</p><p>Pasadena perked up. "…how?"</p><p>"Most of the mutants escaped well before the flames even started, the bandicoot had made sure to either free some himself or indirectly cause the freeing of others, and those did the rest. Some of them eventually joined back into Cortex's ranks for one reason or the other, others did the same with other people who were involved with him at some point. As for the rest… well, they just went on with their lives, as far as I know. There's not much more than that… though my uncle never told me much about the fact, or what came afterwards."</p><p>Nina scratched her chin for a second, as if something had occurred to her. Then, she simply continued talking.</p><p>"In any case, that's why back there in the Wumpa Arcipelago you can find all kinds of those weirdo animals going around now, and why I'm no more surprised of seeing new ones showing up, including the ones found abroad, far from the wumpa islands. And this includes Motorworld."</p><p>This time, it was Nina that was implying something, and Pasadena couldn't really say much but nodding to show she'd understood.</p><p>"But I'll tell you what, even <em>that</em> doesn't mean much, really," the girl continued. "Fancy that uncle Neo didn't mention that he'd been creating mutants way before Crash even was born as well."</p><p>"He did?"</p><p>"He told me himself that he had begun working on evolvo-ray prototypes since he was a pupil at the Academy of Evil. That caused a whole slew of problems I won't tell you about now later, but just so you know, he kept working on those machines basically until Crash ruined everything for him. He wouldn't tell me what happened in all those years since he still hates Brio's guts for turning on him, and uncle Neo spent most of those years working with that guy, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of those mutated animals eventually managed to get away throughout the years."</p><p>It… made sense, somewhat. That would be of course a nicer picture than what Cortex had pictured, sure, and it wouldn't mean that she had lost someone in the process as well. It was convenient to believe Nina's version of the story.</p><p>But there was some truth in it as well. In all her thinking, only now when considering <em>other </em>people had Pasadena realised that Chick and Stew had never shared much about their own past as well, not including some jokes about their wives (which she'd never seen, ever, to the point that she wasn't even sure the two were married in the first place).</p><p>Their existence was somewhat justified by what Nina had said, which meant that there was no reason to think her own existence's start was to be placed near the start of the bandicoots' adventures. She'd been working for long in Motorworld after all, so it wouldn't have made much sense anyway.</p><p>Perhaps, her fears were really unjustified, more the result of well-placed observations by Cortex than actual preoccupations based on the truth. Maybe there was no tragic backstory to be dug about her.</p><p>Yet…</p><p>"Nina, seriously… why are you telling me all of this?" Pasadena questioned, looking thoughtfully at her.</p><p>"Again… I'm bored," Nina looked away. "Beside, you make a better interlocutor than darn Coco Bandicoot at least. My blood boils just thinking about that freaking blonde marsupial. You, at least, I can manage."</p><p>Pasadena let out a chuckle. Nina and Coco's constant confrontations were basically only second to Cortex's own clashes with Crash himself during races, and even out of those matches the situation wasn't better between the girl and the bandicoot. She distinctly remembered winning a race because Coco and Nina, who had clashed their cars together, had started arguing to each other while driving and completely missed Pasadena overtaking them by herself.</p><p>"Well… thank you, I guess…" she finally said, passing her now dirty with snot arm over her face, cleaning off the rest of the mess she'd made before. Definitely, she felt better, although with a sticky forearm.</p><p>The only problem was… she was back to the starting point, once again. She still didn't exactly know where she came from.</p><p>"Heck… if it wasn't for this, I wouldn't even have a slew of henchmen at my disposal…" Nina grumbled offhandedly.</p><p>That took Pasadena aback. "Wait, you do?"</p><p>"Who did you think I was, a good guy?" Nina let out another 'tsk', this time directed at her. "Well, I guess I can tell you. Not even uncle knows anything yet about the army I'm assembling, the Brat Girls, who are all mutants I've been recruiting since I left the Academy. Hopefully this'll show him that I can take care of myself, for one. And maybe that'll also let me teach Coco that she's nothing compared to me, that bratty imbecile."</p><p>Now, that was beginning to get worrying… but Pasadena was wary to inquire further. Again, hero's business wasn't her field.</p><p>"Anyway, I better be going, I'm not really a psychologist O'Possum. N. Gin might be a better choice, which is saying something," Nina said, finally standing up and starting to move away. "Try not to make your head explode over this whole 'what about ma' past' stuff, maybe, not that I care. I don't think losing your brain over it is a good idea, and trust me: I <em>saw </em>what losing a brain can do to people."</p><p>That left Pasadena quite confused, as Nina waved casually at her and started to walk away, before stopping after a mere two steps.</p><p>"Oh, and one last thing. I don't think uncle Neo really knows much about you or other mutants, he barely cares about his own commandos and he even forgot some of them. If I were you, I'd try to ask people who have a better chance at knowing about your past… perhaps, starting from what you actually remember. Just my two cents, Pasadena."</p><p>With that, she walked away, leaving the possum alone in the shadow of the kiosk's roof.</p><p>Those last few words… what did she mean? The very reason why she had started talking with the bandicoots first and eventually dared to question the Cortexes was because there wasn't much she could do by herself.</p><p>Her memories, as she had already told Coco, didn't really go beyond Motorworld, and she believed she had to look beyond her time here to actually find out something new. After all, there wasn't much to be learned from the few people she actually knew. The Park Drones were precarious workers who basically changed job a month after being employed all the time, unable to keep up with the park's madness, while Willie Wumpa Cheeks had a habit of sticking to the job even beyond job hours, so it was basically impossible to have a constructive conversation with the thing.</p><p>Perhaps Chick and Stew would've helped, considering what she'd realised before about them, but it was never clear when those chicken interviewers were being serious or not, and there was no certainty they'd know about her specific case more than she did. That left only one guy…</p><p>Ebenezer Von Clutch.</p><p>Pasadena lost her breath, as it suddenly occurred to her that the green cyborg man <em>had </em>played a role in her past.</p><p>She knew it, because… he was her farthest memory. She always remembered working in Motorworld… and she always remembered being an employee of Von Clutch for all that time. Basically, she'd worked for him for all her life.</p><p>Was… was he really the missing link between herself and her past? It was a weird scenario, something that she might have considered unthinkable, closer to a joke at one point. Von Clutch involved with mutant creation shenanigans? Neither Crash nor Cortex or any of the others knew him before they stumbled on the doorstep of the theme park.</p><p>Yet… Von Clutch had never hidden his admiration for Crash's adventures, or Cortex's achievements. Heck, he had a Crash miniature statue in his office, and he'd mentioned more than once that the idea for Power Gems as the energy source for the park came from the things he'd found out about Cortex's own technology.</p><p>Ebenezer <em>had </em>to know something about the scientist's findings in the fields of forced evolution that she did not. And maybe, that was the last bit of information she needed to deal with her problem once and for all.</p><p>Pasadena knew what she had to do now. Sighing, she left her position and started to walk through the Midway in the direction of Motorworld's main entrance building, at the top of which her boss's office was located.</p><p>'<em>I just hope he's not gonna be mad at me for taking the day off… only to spend my time to go visit him. Ugh… I hope I won't regret this…'</em></p><hr/><p>As the elevator went up, Pasadena tried to put her thoughts in order while considering her approach. She had no idea what to expect from Von Clutch, but despite everything, he was still her boss, and she didn't really want to risk a break down in front of him. At the same time, she also didn't want to push him too far with her questions… even if he didn't act as a guy with some bad memories bothering him.</p><p>Who knew what kind of secrets she would end up inadvertently digging up.</p><p>For crying out loud… he was a cyborg. And not just the N. Gin, half-of-the-head-encased-in-metal type. His body literally ran on Power Gem energy! She didn't exactly look forward to know how that entire thing had happened.</p><p>Her thoughts came to a halt as the elevator stopped—she had been so immersed in her mental planning she had forgotten about it. Thus, before she could realise it, she was standing right in Von Clutch's main office. And here he was, sitting behind the desk while fiddling with some papers.</p><p>He was already looking at her by the time she saw him.</p><p>"Ah, Pasadena! <em>Gut," </em>he said. "I was wondering if you'd pay a visit."</p><p>"You… did?" Pasadena didn't exactly expect that remark from her boss. If anything, she wondered if her visiting him would be seen as slacking-off, right in front of his face.</p><p>"Well, when you asked for a day off, I was wondering how long you'd last without getting bored. Racing is your main source of entertainment, after all," he said, standing up and walking around the desk to join her.</p><p>He had a point. Though he <em>didn't </em>know what the main reason behind her request was in the first place.</p><p>"I guess I do…" she said mechanically, more to confirm Von Clutch's observation than out of actual agreement. She was still trying to muster enough courage to actually question him.</p><p>"If that's the case, Pasadena, we may as well discuss a little about the current situation," he said. He walked up to the window that provided a good view on Motorworld's hub. "I think we're making good progress thanks to our most recent racing guests."</p><p>Uh… maybe while speaking with him about the happenings in the park, she'd manage to find a way to finally spoke her doubts out?</p><p>Worth a shot.</p><p>"You think we do?" she said, walking up to stand beside him.</p><p>"Mhh-mhh! Crash Bandicoot has already been able to fetch two Power Gems and solve the energy leaks in Happily Ever Faster and Mystery Island. I'm confident either he or the others will be able to find the remaining gems, including my beloved Black Gem! I'm starting to miss her…"</p><p>"Well, I can understand that. Since you would literally turn off without it…" Pasadena commented.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, but there's more than that Pasadena! <em>Frau </em>Black Gem had started to become much more than a modest part of <em>mein </em>body! I don't even know how it was stolen in the first place."</p><p>"…uh, let's forget about that." Pasadena quickly ended the discussion concerning the topic of how the Black gem had been taken. Von Clutch sometimes had a habit of going in the details, and <em>that </em>wasn't something she wanted to get a detailed report on, not to mention his wild theories.</p><p>"I'm sure we'll find it, soon," she added. "These people have settled down pretty quickly with Motorworld, so all of us together should be able to get to the bottom of this theft."</p><p>"<em>Ya, ya, </em>I believe that choosing the bandicoots as well as the Cortexes has been one of my best decisions lately. And not just that! The public seems to be enjoying more of their time here as well, now that they actually have proper races to view! Which of course means, more earnings for the park. But even that pales when compared to the pure bliss of actually taking part in challenging matchu-ups! I've really missed this competitive racing, Pasadena."</p><p>Another observation she agreed with. Pasadena and Von Clutch were known to literally decimate almost the entirety of the competition in the past few months… sometimes <em>literally. </em>In this case, though, the bandicoots and their rivals had proved to be valiant adversaries on the racing track.</p><p>It might have meant not <em>always </em>winning, but it was way more satisfying to achieve a first place as well. And Pasadena recognised that the feeling was just one of the best things ever.</p><p>It really was a good time to be working in Motorworld, since a long while!</p><p>Well… since as far as <em>she remembered </em>at least.</p><p>…</p><p>"Von Clutch…" Pasadena said through her teeth, forcing herself to blurt out the words. "I… there's a reason why I asked for the day off, really… and it's not because I wanted to rest for a day."</p><p>"Huh?" Von Clutch slightly turned his head, eying her.</p><p>"You see, uh… there's something that's been bothering me since yesterday, and I can't wrap my mind about it…"</p><p>She had been looking at the floor at the entire time, but after saying that she couldn't help looking up for a moment to see his reaction.</p><p>Surprisingly, Von Clutch seemed to have taken her seriously. He had his arms crossed behind his back and was fully turned towards her. She had his full attention at least.</p><p>"Go on, Pasadena. I am listening," he said, confirming her impression.</p><p>"Okay… well, long story short. I sort of heard yesterday the bandicoots mention something about their past to each other. How they were born… or better, how they were created. They were just joking to each other, reminiscing about their adventures, but that… that got me thinking. I've been trying to ask them about it, them and even the Cortexes, but none of them have managed to fully help me out with this issue… this issue about <em>me and my own past.</em>"</p><p>Von Clutch's eyes widened and he made a step back. In all of her time spent working for him as far as she remembered, Pasadena had rarely seen sincere surprise as a proper emotion from her boss, so that managed to take her aback.</p><p>He quickly recomposed himself, turning back to the window. "Correct me if I am wrong, Pasadena. You are being bothered by your own past, right? And that is… because you don't know, or don't remember, what it was like before… Motorworld, or before you started working for me. Is that right?"</p><p>"Yeah…" she confirmed, looking back out herself. It was like he was avoiding looking at her now. It was already weird that Von Clutch had reacted like that at first, but now he had accurately described her current issue without her even explaining how she felt.</p><p>She was starting to get confused by her boss's behaviour, and she wondered if she'd made a mistake by coming here to ask him about her past.</p><p>It sure looked like her question was having an effect at least, since Von Clutch remained silent for a few more seconds. Pasadena considered excusing herself to save them both from the awkwardness, but before she could open her mouth Ebenezer beat her on time.</p><p>"I guess this moment should've come, sooner or later," he said before sighing. "Come on, follow me to my desk. I've got a thing to show you, and it's better than anything I can say as a starting point."</p><p>Pasadena found herself almost rushing to the desk as Von Clutch walked back to the chair. He didn't sit down, though, preferring to fiddle with something behind the desk, a drawer probably.</p><p>"Hah-ah. Here it is," he said, before taking out what looked like a simple photo frame stand. "We will start from the very beginning."</p><p>Pasadena's heart was racing, and that wasn't even a joke. Her hand trembled as she took the photo from the cyborg's hands, and it took her some effort to retract it and actually pay attention to the image.</p><p>There were two people framed in it. One of them was without a doubt Von Clutch, though he looked much different. He had actual natural, non-green skin, for one, and the arms were also natural human arms, not the cybernetic ones he had in the present. The only non-natural part she recognised was the robotic leg, as well as his notorious hat.</p><p>However, what had the same effect of a kick in her stomach was the sight of the other person in the picture. The person Von Clutch was holding by her hand.</p><p>She was a kid, and a very young one at it, probably comparable to a four-year-old in human terms. And yet, blonde hair in pigtails, a beach cap with pink colour… and the unmistakable snout of a possum.</p><p>This was <em>her.</em></p><p>"How… how?!" Pasadena managed to cough out.</p><p>"What exactly do you know already, Pasadena? What did the others tell you?" Von Clutch started. He wasn't looking at her.</p><p>"Von Clutch, w-what is this?!" Pasadena had basically lost control of herself at this point, raising her voice at her own boss, ignoring his questions. "This… this shouldn't even be possible! Why don't I <em>remember this?!"</em></p><p>Von Clutch's face was neutral, though when he turned to regard her it looked like there was a hint of sadness in it, as if he was trying to hide something. He hesitated before replying to Pasadena, who looked like she was on the verge of exploding. Her eyes, though, were still fully fixed on him.</p><p>"Pasadena, I… Listen, there's a reason why that photo exists. But first," he walked up to the other side of the chair and fiddled with another drawer on the desk, before producing a water bottle and a glass. It didn't take him long to offer her the glass filled with the liquid.</p><p>"Take this, <em>bitte," </em>he said. Pasadena was still in a heavy breath, the photo clutched on one hand. Yet, she managed to at least extend her free one to accept the glass.</p><p>While she drank, Ebenezer walked around the desk and simply waited for her to finish. When she was done, Pasadena let out a long sigh.</p><p>"Do you feel better now?" Von Clutch asked, and she nodded weakly. She looked at the photo again.</p><p>"As I said, I'll start from the beginning. I take you already know what Cortex's work included, among other things. Is that so?"</p><p>"Yeah… I asked him about it… it-it wasn't a really nice conversation."</p><p>Von Clutch scowled for a second before returning to his current neutral facade. "Well, we'll start from there then. He's worked a lot in the field of fastened evolution, much before Crash, Crunch and Coco even came to be. You know this as well?"</p><p>She nodded, again. No use mentioning who had said what at this point.</p><p>"So, he and his assistant Brio actually worked on this subject while travelling around the world, testing the prototype of their incredible machine, the evolvo-ray, on all kinds of fauna and flora. They weren't always able to achieve what they wanted though, since as you may guess, Cortex started to get into the villain role pretty early on. In any case, his and Brio's work resulted in a lot of mutated animals actually being released, because, well, you know… they didn't have a castle to keep people in yet."</p><p>Pasadena nodded. "So… I'm just that? Another mutant of Cortex?"</p><p>"I'm not sure, actually. Cortex and Brio may have been the most notorious scientists, but they weren't the only guys working on this kind of evolution <em>Technik </em>I believe. Regardless… not even I know exactly where you came from, Pasadena. I… I kind of adopted you after encountering you by chance."</p><p>…</p><p>Von Clutch walked towards the centre of the office while Pasadena stared at him, dumbfounded. "You were an orphan for all intents and purposes, so I fetched you before anyone else could at the orphanage you had somehow ended up in and…I raised you. That photo, in fact, was taken sometime close to the day where I got you."</p><p>Pasadena looked at the photo again. Her younger self seemed to be very happy, in fact her smile was so big is looked like it was the happiest day in her life. She wasn't really used to kids, so she couldn't really understand why the few balloons she was holding by their strings on her free hand would be so great.</p><p>Or perhaps, she was missing the context of the photo. Perhaps the balloons were not the only reason she was so happy.</p><p>"At first, I guess I just wanted to see what all the fuss about Cortex was. He was, after all, a genius I sincerely admired, even if he's got the issue of wanting to conquer the world by all means necessary and other peculiar traits. In any case, when l saw you for the first time, I immediately made the connection between his work and you and I wondered how people such as you, created out of that <em>Technik</em>, were like. But when I took the final decision to take you in, Cortex was just a minor thought. I… for some reason, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving you alone in that orphanage, when you were the only non-human child in there."</p><p>Von Clutch was basically going all in with a monologue at this point. Pasadena didn't dare to interrupt him, half because of the importance of what she was hearing, half because digesting his words was already hard enough.</p><p>"So, we went on and lived for a while together. It was around that time that I ended up having some health problems, and I realised that Power Gems were much better than organic hearts, for starters. There was no way I was quitting my racing hobby because of some minor body failure, even though I had to replace my arms after a few too many accidents. Oh well, worth it," he said, chuckling at his own remark.</p><p>"The first foundations of Motorworld were also laid around the time you started to live with me Pasadena. It had always been my dream project, my <em>own 9</em><em>th</em><em> Symphony </em>if you like."</p><p>He stayed silent for a moment. Something was bugging Pasadena right now, and when the chance came, she couldn't help opening her mouth to speak.</p><p>"Von Clutch… why d-did you never tell me about all of this?" she said, her voice betraying her own emotions. "Why?"</p><p>Von Clutch wore a guilty expression, like a thief caught red-handed. "I… I thought it was the better way to keep things like they were, Pasadena."</p><p>She shook her head. "I <em>deserved </em>to know this. I… I deserved to know what happened back then, <em>Ebenezer!"</em></p><p>Von Clutch looked down in shame.</p><p>"I… I just don't understand, I don't understand why or even <em>how </em>you hid all of these things. I-I can't even remember any of this!"</p><p>"Pasadena… that's the problem."</p><p>She looked back at him, her anger forgotten for the time being. "W-what?"</p><p>"The fact that you don't remember any part of it, <em>is the reason </em>why I never told you about it. Because I did so, more than once in the past… and you kept forgetting. Again and again," he said gravely. He closed his eyes, recalling his own memories.</p><p>"I wasn't sure what was going at first, when you first had your amnesia episode. I thought it was a random occurrence, and you were otherwise healthy. But then, you kept forgetting things, and didn't stop doing so. I was starting to get worried! So I did the only thing I could do, contacting the experts on the matter I knew. Cortex was unfortunately very hard to get in contact with due to his giant ego back then, but his assistant, Brio, was more cooperative."</p><p>He opened his eyes to face her. "He explained that the earlier versions of their evolution machine had some issues with the mutants they were able to create, making them not viable for the short-term plan Cortex had back then. One of the issues Brio had listed was, to put it simply, frequent cases of amnesia. The mutant would lose their memory, frequently over time, and with no sign of being able to recover their memory by themselves."</p><p>Pasadena passed an arm over her face, sniffing. When did her eyes begin getting wet?</p><p>It wasn't like it mattered right now. It wasn't like Von Clutch was <em>just </em>her boss right now. Good employee behaviour could go down the drain for all it mattered to her at the moment.</p><p>"So, at some point, I… gave up trying. It wasn't like you were being affected by these memory losses that much, as young as you were, and I felt it was better than spending so much time telling you everything about me and the world. In fact, when you got older it was becoming more of a problem, since every time I told you everything, you either refused to believe me fully or simply got mad. And then, you'd forget again. I was <em>tired </em>of seeing you like this, Pasadena. Every single time, you'd get more and more mad, and you'd forget even more. So, I stopped telling you. And you were fine, despite the memory losses."</p><p>He sighed. "Then, after many years, for some reason your amnesia episodes stopped. By then, you had no idea about your childhood or even my role in it. I let you help me out in Motorworld since the beginning, and that basically evolved into a full time job, at least from your point of view. I was your employer, and that was it. <em>Gut, </em>one would say, I could just tell you everything now, right?"</p><p>He raised a finger and shook it. <em>"Falsch. </em>I was not going to force you into something you had no memory of. You were just happy with your current job and what you knew, and, I guess… I didn't want to ruin all of it for the sake of some old memories no one really cared about, except for me."</p><p>He looked towards the window, then walked up to it, finding distraction in the view of the Midway. "Perhaps, though… I was wrong in my decision. Maybe you deserved to know, despite everything, Pasadena… I'm not sure. I… I'm sorry."</p><p>He didn't look back. He simply stood where he was, probably fully expecting her to depart and put order to her thoughts by herself.</p><p>It was the way she used to handle it after all, when she was younger and he still tried to help her remember after the memory loss episodes struck: leaving while yelling at him. Perhaps, now she'd at least spare him the yelling. It was hard enough to see her angry.</p><p>Yet, Von Clutch didn't hear the elevator come down after all. He heard her footsteps coming closer, and eventually he found her standing by him, just like earlier.</p><p>"Pasadena… I understand if you blame me," Von Clutch said, keeping his look fixed at the Hub. "I was never the best guy who could raise you, and I did some mistakes. It-it… oh, <em>shei—"</em></p><p>"I forgive you."</p><p>Von Clutch turned towards her. He had long since stopped trying to don the neutral face, in favour of a more regretful, sad one, but that didn't stop him from raising both of his eyebrows in surprise. He was so scrunched up in surprise that his hat almost fell off and he had to keep it up with a hand.</p><p>"You do?"</p><p>"Uh-uh," she nodded. Pasadena looked down, once again passing an arm over her eyes, then she looked at her hands. "I… I think I understand why you did what you did. I can see where you're coming from at least, from what you told me… and why you never told me about all of this in the first place. If I really… lost my memories that much frequently, and it had started to make me feel bad… and angry."</p><p>Von Clutch grunted, looking back at the window.</p><p>"I-I only wonder… if these memory losses were that frequent… will I forget things again, sometime in the future? W-will I forget everything again?"</p><p>"It's not likely, but I'd even say it's basically <em>neigh </em>impossible," Von Clutch explained. "You see, I did my own research, Pasadena. Most of the other people I met who shared origins similar to yours, more or less, had similar amnesia problems. But they never, ever lasted for long. Chick and Stew are a living example of it."</p><p>She almost jumped. "Them?"</p><p>"When I first met them, they couldn't help to comment on your cuteness, and I couldn't really blame them." Pasadena felt her cheeks getting redder. "Then, the conversation eventually got to your memory problem. They told me that both of them had had this issue as well in the past… but it happened only twice before going away, never to resurface again."</p><p>"Even Willie?" Pasadena wondered.</p><p>"Oh, no, not him. He's not a mutant, not <em>that type of mutant, </em>ahem… it's kind of a complicated story. Him and me both were happy you forgot about that one. Maybe another time?"</p><p>"I guess…"</p><p>"By the way, I guessed that this had to do with your age, since Chick and Stew were very much adults, while you were still a kid back then at six-years-old. Perhaps, while growing up, the amnesia would also go away, sooner or later… and I think my guess was right, since it's been years since last time it happened."</p><p>Von Clutch looked at her, only to find that Pasadena was scrambling to hide her face. The shade of red on her cheeks was expanding, apparently.</p><p>"Do they know as well about my memory problem?" she managed to say.</p><p>"<em>Ya.</em> Stew actually told me once he's written down a kilometric list of remarks and compliments about you that he's been keeping away since you were very young, and that he was going to make sure you'd hear every single one of them sooner or later. I'm not sure if he was serious, but you know him."</p><p>Pasadena groaned. "I always felt like those two never joked about me that much compared to the other drivers…"</p><p>"Well, that may change I'm afraid if they ever manage to discover you know about it now," finally, Von Clutch let himself have a hearty laugh. Then, he recomposed. "Only if you want, that is…"</p><p>"No, Ebenezer," Pasadena said solemnly. "I think you've tried to protect me for long enough. I'm not a kid, or even a teenager anymore, I can deal with this problem myself… I'll even make sure I can remember <em>by myself, </em>without you ever having to deal with all of this… emotional stuff again, if I am ever struck by this amnesia thing again."</p><p>"Oh, I don't mind that," Von Clutch laughed. "I've lived far too long for being bothered by this. I'll be fine as long as you are fine and happy."</p><p>Pasadena finally let herself smile, since the moment she had stepped into Von Clutch's office. While it had been quite a roller coaster of emotions, she finally felt like her inner doubts had been solved, even if there was still a part of her past, concerning her specific origin, that had yet to be discovered.</p><p>Perhaps, though, that part wasn't as important, considering what the bandicoots had told her earlier. The one part that mattered… she knew about that now. And that was enough to ease her, making her feel like the lack of memories was not as hurting as it was before.</p><p>She still wanted to know more facts about her childhood at least, and she definitely wanted to hear what Von Clutch had to say, since he sounded like he had a lot to tell from those times.</p><p>Beside that… there was one last thing she wanted to ask her employer.</p><p>"Von Clutch?"</p><p>"Yes, Pasadena?"</p><p>"Does this mean I can call you dad from now on?"</p><p>Von Clutch looked at her for a moment. Instead of surprise or embarrassment, he looked at her like she wanted to burn her alive.</p><p>"Don't you think this is going to change your current duties on the job, Pasadena. I can still <em>fire you, </em>you know?"</p><p>Pasadena laughed at his annoyance. She had never, ever acted like this around him, but she was already starting to like this change.</p><p>"Is that a yes?"</p><p>"Ugh," Von Clutch spoke with mild annoyance, though he was visibly trying to hide a smile. "Do that in public, and you're going <em>kaput, </em>Pasadena."</p><p>"Okay… <em>dad."</em></p><hr/><p>
  <strong>A day later.</strong>
</p><p>"Hello, race fans! And welcome to another racing matchup here in Motorworld! Today, we're going into the depths of a phantasy castle in Once upon a Tire!"</p><p>"Well, fry me up in an oven, Chick, if this isn't an event to look forward to! Our usual racing contestants are already at the starting grid, eager to put their skills to the test against each other!"</p><p>Chick and Stew kept on commenting on the upcoming race, their voice being played out by the sound contraptions placed all over the track. It was tradition, after all, for the two of them to discuss at the start of every race—sans the times they ended up missing the race's beginning, that is.</p><p>Pasadena realised that perhaps the thing that didn't feel right in the race at Tiki Turbo two days before, was the lack of the remarks from Motorworld's commenters.</p><p>She was busy finishing her check-up on her current car, listening to Ebenezer Von Clutch while she worked. "Thus, Pasadena, after yesterday I realised that when this entire ordeal will end, I will find myself without a park to direct. And that's why I got in contact with this guy."</p><p>"Ebenezer, why would you even try to get in contact with some kind of koala movie star, though?" she said. Eventually, the two had agreed that she could at least call him by name while in public. Though, whether she was always going to respect their agreement was another matter.</p><p>Well… she was definitely going to do so until she could handle the thought of people knowing about this at least.</p><p>"Oh, he's not really having much luck with movies, but he's told me he's trying to get a chance to become a famous wrestler now," Von Clutch explained. "But Kong might be our key to my next grandiose masterpiece, Pasadena. Imagine a circus, dedicated to the wonders of professional wrestling, blazing lights, and of course deadly racing. Something mobile, of course, but still loyal to the same principles that made Motoworld great. What do you say?"</p><p>Pasadena raised her snout from the car's interior to look at him. He was grinning as if he'd just had an 'eureka' moment, which may as well actually be what happened.</p><p>"I'm not sure… but to be honest, what do we have to lose, after Motorworld is passed over to the next winner?" she said. "I'm still following you regardless."</p><p>His grin got wider, if possible. "That's what I wanted to hear! I'll try to convince Kong to join our ranks then. Shouldn't be too difficult given that he said he wants to try wrestling because he has fewer lines to utter."</p><p>"Sounds like he's got his priorities straight," Pasadena chuckled. He wasn't sure what to make of the guy Von Clutch had contacted, but between Chick and Stew and Willie, she'd learned to socialise with a lot of strange people already.</p><p>Not to mention her own father, of course.</p><p>"Well then, I better get going or the race will start before I even sit down on the Zwergauto. See you on the race track, Pasadena. And don't think I'll be treating you any less different!"</p><p>"You can bet I won't do the same!" she fired back. Von Clutch laughed, then waved at her before leaving.</p><p>She resumed her check-up work, but fifteen seconds later someone tapped on her back, interrupting her again. When she turned around, she found it wasn't Ebenezer this time, but a female bandicoot looking at her inquisitively.</p><p>"Hey there, Pasa."</p><p>"Still going with that nickname?" Pasadena quickly replied, hand on her hip.</p><p>"Oh, come on, you know you like it. By the way, I was just wondering if you were all right."</p><p>"Oh? Why?"</p><p>"Well, you know… after yesterday. You're still thinking about what we talked about?"</p><p>"Oh, that… well, only a bit. I've actually managed to let the matter go for some time, I think. I still have a lot to find out about all of that…"</p><p>She leaned a little to look behind Coco. Ebenezer Von Clutch had already reached his vehicle and was right now standing on the car bonnet, using his megaphone to spur his competitors and taunt them to do their best in the upcoming race. He was the same good old Von Clutch.</p><p>Yet… right now, Pasadena looked at him with different eyes. She'd probably have to spend some time getting used to this feeling, after so long looking up to him as simply the boss she was loyal to.</p><p>But she could manage.</p><p>"Yet, even if I don't know everything yet, I think I can work with what I have. But thank you for the thought."</p><p>Coco smiled. "I'm happy to hear that. If you ever need anything I'm always here… but I guess that for now we can leave it aside. It wouldn't be fun to race with a gloomy version of you, now, would it?"</p><p>Pasadena smirked. "That would be too easy. And don't you worry; I'm still gonna blast you and the toaster you're driving to pieces. Don't ya' think our old alliance still holds in this new match!"</p><p>Coco smiled blithely. "Hey, you're the one who's gonna have to watch her back. Who knows? That toaster might have some tricks hidden below the hood. You never know."</p><p>The two girls laughed together at each other's jabs. But before Coco could wish good luck and leave to return to her own car, something happened.</p><p>There was a huge screen right beside the starting grid of Once upon a Tire. Pasadena didn't remember there being such a screen here, not in the previous weeks, let alone <em>five minutes ago. </em>Where did that come from? Even Coco was astounded by the appearance. She thought she saw some Park Drones moving nearby, but they were gone before she could understand what they were doing.</p><p>But soon, the screen turned on, revealing the ones most likely responsible for the intruding object. And here they were, Chick and Stew, sitting in their studio.</p><p>"Attention, Motorworld contestants and visitors. We just received news, and we got to share it all with you!" Stew exclaimed.</p><p>"What's that about, Von Clutch?" Cortex shouted from behind Pasadena and Coco. Von Clutch simply shrugged; he was apparently just as confused.</p><p>"That's right, race fans! We've just received news thanks to our trustful sources…" Chick was holding some papers in his hands, and he even took out a pair of reading glasses. "…that our favourite racing ace, and long-time Motorworld veteran, Pasadena O'Possum, has actually been racing since her younger days!"</p><p>Pasadena started coughing when she ended up swallowing down her lung pipe a gust of saliva. "WHAT!?"</p><p>"And so, just before the start of this upcoming racing contest, we're here for a special edition of Chick 'n' Stew Absolutely Not Embarassing Facts! Oh, oh, oh, I've been looking forward to this!" Stew had another paper in his hand, except that it was an extremely long piece of fabric, so long that it even went down their desk, hiding its end.</p><p>Pasadena had heard about that thing Stew was holding. She looked at Von Clutch, who was looking at her already, with an accusing glare, but Von Clutch looked just as surprised as her. <em>How </em>could they even know about her newfound knowledge so soon!? She'd yet to tell anyone!</p><p>"But first things first, race fans," Chick continued. "Let's first check out a photo of our favourite racing champion in her earliest days. Here it is!"</p><p>And then, it happened. The screen's feed changed into a still image. A still image of <em>Pasadena, </em>eight-year-old, depicted while driving an incredibly small toy car, sized just for her, and smiling brightly at the camera.</p><p>The damage was already done before she could even accept what had just happened.</p><p>"Oh. My. GOSH! Is that you Pasadena!? Oh my, you were so<em> cute!"</em></p><p>Incoherent bandicoot laughing came from the upper positions, Crash was apparently having the time of his life. He immediately began to walk up to her, with Crunch right in tow.</p><p>"Wow, Pasadena, I have to say I gotta agree with my little sister here," Crunch said between the snickers. "You look like you handled yourself pretty well even that early, considering that impressive piece of machinery you were driving!"</p><p>"OH MY, THE HORROR!" Cortex's scream came from behind.</p><p>"But Dr. Cortex, it's just a very reputation-damaging image of a child possum. Why are you so aggravated by it?" N. Gin wondered.</p><p>"N. Gin, you moron! It's obvious I can't handle that much SWEETNESS in one go! Hide it, hide it from my eyes! It burns!"</p><p>"Bleah. I'm disgusted," Nina Cortex was among the group as well, sulking. "You were that puny little thing, O'Possum? You look like you still had a long way to go before you could even consider starting the engine of anything that wasn't an RC toy car."</p><p>Pasadena at that point wanted to turn invisible or, even better, teleport out of the place. But when she thought things couldn't get worse, she heard a megaphone. "Comin' through, gentlemen!" Von Clutch's voice came as he made his way up to Pasadena, "Leave space, because THAT'S MY GIRL!"</p><p>He walked up to her and circled a mechanical arm around her shoulders, all while starting to narrate her early accomplishments, beginning with the very first accident of course.</p><p>Pasadena's fur colour was basically comparable to the vivid shade of a ripe tomato at that point… but for some reason, she was also smiling and laughing with along the group—the ones who were enjoying their time at least, with poor Cortex still refusing to participate while N. Gin tried his best to help his distressed master. Even Nina started making her own joking remarks at some point, snickering all the way, though it didn't seem she was trying to be mean. Perhaps even she couldn't avoid the cuteness, deep down.</p><p>All the while Chick and Stew continued with their own story, Stew making sure to go over his list of remarks about young Pasadena from the very beginning, interrupting Chick's tale every ten seconds.</p><p>She was going to catch those fowl commentators and turn them into roast chicken. Yep, that was now a definitive entry in her to-do list.</p><p>But for now that could wait, at least until she was done having fun with her friends… and her family.</p><p>
  <strong>THE END</strong>
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